The Way It Should Be
by Caro June
Summary: A mission to procure a needed vaccine goes Wrong. Features Han, Leia, Chewie, Luke & others. A hurt, comfort story, very relationally driven. This story explores the early dynamics between Han and Leia, and their developing relationship. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 1**

Han Solo was pissed off. Of course, that wasn't a new feeling whenever he thought about the Princess and her endless requests for his help. It wasn't that he minded helping so much; indeed he was amazed at how often he found that he wanted to be of some kind of service to these people. In fact he found he was doing most missions for no profit, instead just asking for enough to keep his ship running after having it shot up each time he ventured out.

Chewie had commented that the only reason Han griped at all anymore was simply because his princess never asked for anything for herself personally—instead it was always something for her rebellion. Han ignored the "his princess" comment, but agreed he was tired of hearing about the rebellion all the time, never hearing what she might want from him.

How he had changed in the 2½ years since first running into the kid and that old man on the Falcon. Especially given the hell hole of a planet the rebellion was based on this time—Hoth. He had never expected to spend even a week on Hoth, it was way too cold for his tastes, let alone spending all the time for the months they'd been here. This time he was determined he wasn't going to give in and go on this mission until she asked him to do it for her.

"_Well, that worked out well," _he thought to himself sarcastically, as he settled into the Falcon's cockpit just over 48 hours later and ran through the pre-flight procedures. He had waited until the last minute to accept the mission, and sure enough, the Princess had approached him the evening before he was supposed to leave.

"Han!" she called in what he liked to refer to as her "royal voice." "Han! Where do you think you're going?" Since he was obviously on his way into the lounge area that had been set up for all pilots, he just glanced at her, gave his usual insolent shrug and continued on his way. Next he knew, his arm was grabbed as the Princess shouldered her way through the crowd. "Yes, your Royalness-ness?" he asked in his most sarcastic voice. "Something you wanted from me?"

"I just got back from meeting with the High Command. Rieken said you haven't checked in to get the specifics of the mission yet, and we're supposed to leave tomorrow morning at 0500. You can't be drinking the night before you leave on mission, Han, you know that!" Leia exclaimed.

"High Command? That's who wants me to go on this mission?" Han demanded. "I don't do missions just 'cause some stuffy old men think I should, your worship. You want me to go on this one, you got ta' ask me yourself." He folded his arms across his chest and stared down on the diminutive lady who was glaring daggers at him.

"Ooo, you, stubborn, meat-headed, infuriating . . . Corellian!" Leia couldn't think of the words fast enough to express her frustration. "Why you need me to coddle you into doing these missions is beyond me!" and she threw her hands up in utter frustration, turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, much to the amusement of all who were looking on, once again enjoying the show put on the Princess and "her" pirate as they were privately referred to. Very privately—no one wanted to experience either Solo's or Organa's wrath should they be caught talking about it.

"Coddle?" Han's eyebrows went up in surprise, as he started after her. "Who said anything about being coddled? I never noticed you doin' any coddling of anyone, especially me, your worship."

Luke, who had been watching from a safe distance, and grinning along with everyone else sauntered over to Solo, took in his bewildered expression as he stared after the retreating figure of the princess, and just patted him on the arm, saying "Come on Han, let's go get the meeting with Command over with so we can prep for the mission."

At that, Han glared at those who had the misfortune to be closest to him and snarled "What 'er you lookin' at?" before stomping off after Luke. "Hey, Luke, what did she mean 'mission WE'RE goin' on'? She's not going with us again is she? You know she tries to run my ship. I won't have it this time. She's not goin' and that's final."

Thoughts of cheerfully strangling the lovely princess came to Han's mind as he finished the pre-flight check list prior to lifting off, but as usual, she had gotten her way, and was even now tucked away in HIS cabin no less, studying readouts about the planet they were headed to this time.

"Huh," Solo grunted toward his co-pilot, "I still don't like the feel of this mission Chewie. No one ever lets the Spirot Vaccine go for that price. Somethin's wrong, it feels like a set up. I wish I could get her to listen to me for once, or at least get Luke to talk to her."

Chewie whined in sympathy for his partner's concern, knowing that for once Han was serious in his worry. They had both argued with high command regarding the specifics of this particular meet, not liking what sounded like a "too good to be true" deal. But no one seemed inclined to listen to Solo; they were too excited about getting this particular vaccine for such a good price. Han knew they were dangerously short on medical supplies and on vaccines in particular, but he also knew better than most the types of danger that awaited those less than cautious. Deciding there wasn't anything he could do about it at that point; he determined not to let the princess out of his sight once they got planet-side and met her contact.

Solo took care to remain in the cockpit during most of the journey, only leaving it to take necessary eating and sleeping breaks, sharing a cabin with Luke, since he wanted to avoid the Princess and her incessant "instructions" on how to behave once they landed. After four days of hyperspace travel, he brought the Falcon back into normal space and contacted spaceport control for landing instructions. Bringing the Falcon down with his usual effortless grace, he shut the control panel down and turned to address Leia for the first time since she had boarded.

"I don't suppose there's any chance you'll stay with the ship while Chewie and I go check things out, is there?" He felt obligated to give it once last try before Leia went to meet her contact. "Now why would I want to do that, Captain?" Leia asked, in her most innocent voice. "The contact is expecting me, and if I don't show, the whole deal is off; they made that most clear."

"Yeah, that's what has me worried," Han muttered, but only nodded at the stubborn rebel leader. "Alright, well, then let's get going. Chewie, you and Luke stay with the ship. I still don't like the way this one feels, no use letting anyone get to the payment before we have the vaccine."

Chewie didn't much like letting Han go without him, but he knew how strongly he felt about accompanying the princess, and he also knew the payment had to be protected. Though Luke was trustworthy, he was still somewhat inexperienced at these kinds of missions, having spent most of his time with the rebellion learning more about piloting. And nothing intimidated would-be thieves like an angry Wookie. Telling Han to be careful and watch his back, he agreed to wait for two hours past the meet time before he'd come looking for them.

Leia was pleased that once again, she had prevailed. She knew Solo was particularly concerned about this mission for some reason, but she strongly felt the potential risks were worth the reward if they were able to get the vaccine in the quantities promised. With a confidence born of too many years doing this very type of thing, she headed into the crowd, hoping she wouldn't come to regret her decision.

Many hours later, she deeply regretted everything about this mission as she watched what was going on in the next cell. Solo was in agony, and it was all her fault. Leia could clearly see him through the one way window in her cell. She didn't know how much longer either one of them could take this. With both hands pressed tightly to her mouth, and unshed tears in her eyes, she continued to watch the vicious beating going on next door, even as she recalled the events that had led them to this place. They had been arguing, as usual. . .


	2. Chapter 2

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 2  
**

Coming out of the cantina where they were supposed to meet Leia's contact, Han tried to convince her the best thing to do was get back to the ship and see if any messages had come in. He was more uneasy than ever about the meet now. Not liking it from the start, he really wanted to get Leia to somewhere safe. Usually when he got these hunches, it meant someone was after him; but this time, he kept insisting Leia was the one in danger. Of course, convincing her to take extra precautions, like staying on the ship while he scoped out the meeting place, had been impossible.

"Leia," he argued, "he didn't show. We waited more than an hour past the time, and he just wasn't there. No one was even close to the description you had. Waiting around out here just doesn't make any sense. Let's check back with Chewie and Luke and see if there's been a message from headquarters. Maybe the guy got delayed and we'll be able to see him tomorrow. Besides, Chewie's only going to wait another hour before he comes looking for us." Of course, the Princess knew Han didn't for a minute believe what he was trying to sell her on; he just wanted her back in the relative safety of the Falcon.

"You go right ahead, Captain; that way you can set Chewie's mind at ease," Leia smiled sweetly, always a sign she wasn't going to be reasonable. "I'll just wait around here a little longer and see if the contact shows up. This shipment is just too valuable to take any chances with. He could simply be running late." They continued walking as they argued and were now down the street, away from the brighter lights of the Cantina. They stopped in an alcove where they could observe the front of the cantina, but hopefully remain inconspicuous under the cover of night themselves.

Han just threw his hands up and stalked off a few yards, knowing that short of picking her up and carrying her to the Falcon, which he seriously considered for a brief moment, there would be no convincing her. "Fine," he sputtered as he turned back to the waiting princess, "we'll wait. But keep your eyes open Sweetheart, something just doesn't smell right." Leia rolled her eyes, tired of hearing Solo's dire predictions about this mission, none of which had yet panned out.

At that precise moment, a previously unseen door in the alcove opened suddenly and before Leia could so much as squeak, a very large hand had her by the throat, while a blaster was pressed tightly to her temple.

"Very carefully and slowly, now, Captain," a rough voice said out of the darkness, "I want you to take your blaster out of your holster and toss it this way. No tricks, I won't hesitate to blast her. She's worth almost as much dead as she is alive, and would certainly be less trouble that way." The hand holding the blaster to the Princess' head pressed it even tighter against her scalp and the finger on the trigger tightened ever so slightly, giving credence to the harsh words.

Solo stood, gulping and waiting for inspiration to strike but quickly gave up on that as the hand on Leia's throat tightened until she was struggling to breathe. With a resigned sigh, he carefully loosened the ties that held his blaster down, eased it out of the holster, and slid it toward the alcove.

"Very good, Captain, it looks like you're a level headed man. Now, remove your comlink and toss it over here as well." Again, Han wished desperately for another option, but with Leia being held so tightly, didn't see that he had much choice. As he removed his comlink, and tossed it away, he watched as Leia's link was also removed and confiscated by her captor. As soon as both communication devices were taken, another man appeared from behind the first, and taking Han's blaster, he pointed it at Solo, and fired point blank. Fortunately, it was set on heavy stun or he would have been killed instantly. Han crumpled, unconscious before he hit the ground.

The pressure on Leia's throat immediately eased and she gulped in a huge breath in before gasping, "Han!" She struggled to free herself from the arms that still kept her pinioned; wanting to check on the smuggler, not knowing if the setting on the blaster had been lethal or not. With a curious, "hmm," suddenly the man who held her let her go and observed as she ran to Solo, turned him over and checked his vital signs. Relieved when she felt his slow, but steady pulse, she turned to glare at their captors. "You could have killed him," she rasped out, holding onto Solo's hand. She knew an escape attempt was useless, not only would she be cut down before she got two steps, but there was no way she could take Solo with her, and she wasn't about to abandon him.

"Well, Princess," the evil man chuckled. "You've certainly settled one question for me. I was trying to decide whether to bother taking the Captain with us, or just leave him here. Seems he might have some value to us after all, since you seem to care what happens to him." Too late, Leia realized her mistake in showing concern for the Corellian. She was roughly grabbed and a piece of tape placed tightly over her mouth before she could cry out again. Han was gathered up and slung over the shoulder of the man who had shot him. They were hustled away from the alcove, going deeper into the shadows of the alley.

Leia tried to keep track of the many twists and turns they took, but before long she knew she was hopelessly lost on a world she had never been to before. She wished desperately that she had Han's innate sense of direction or that he was conscious so he would be able to find their way back should they somehow escape; however he didn't make a sound during the long journey, neither did she expect him to, knowing how hard he'd been stunned. Not knowing what else to do, she tried to send her thoughts toward Luke, going over and over in her mind what had happened to them.

Luke was sitting in the cockpit, absently reviewing takeoff and landing procedures when suddenly he stiffened. Something was tickling at the edge of his subconscious mind. Holding very still, he extended his awareness outward, trying to marshal the Force to him. Vaguely he heard Chewie come in and woof an inquiry, but he ignored it, holding his breath as he tried to hone in on whatever it was. Concentrating fiercely, he thought he could almost hear Leia's voice in his head. "Leia?" he whispered. "What's going on?" As he continued his attempts to hear her, he also cast outward for Han's presence. Even though his sense of Leia's mind was growing stronger, he couldn't seem to find Han at all. "Leia?" he asked softly again. "Are you all right?" For a brief moment he seemed to see her stumbling along in the dark, but though he could almost sense her thoughts, they weren't focused enough for him to get more than a feeling of near panic and desperate worry. He still couldn't find Solo anywhere, but suddenly realized her worry was centered on the Corellian pilot. "Leia" he almost shouted this time, and then the tenuous connection was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 3**

Luke slumped forward in the pilot's seat and felt Chewie's hand on his shoulder and realized the Wookie had been softly whuffing at him for some time. "I don't know, Chewie. Something…I, I could feel Leia, something's wrong." Chewie urgently barked a question, one that Luke didn't want to answer. "I don't know Chewie, I couldn't sense Han at all. But…" he looked down, not wanting to alarm Chewie further, but realizing he had no choice when he felt his arm grasped again and gazed upward into his soft blue eyes, now dark with concern. "I think Han was unconscious, or, or; well, all I know is Leia was worried, about him, I think." Chewie gave a short anxious bark and Luke straightened up. "Right, something's gone wrong. We need to contact them." Luke immediately tried his comlink, but neither he nor Chewie were particularly surprised when there was no response.

"Do we both go, or should one of us stay with the ship?" Even though Luke desperately wanted to be doing something to help his friends, he was willing to let Chewie make the decision. Chewie considered for a brief moment, then clapped Luke enthusiastically on the shoulder and barked "No, we both go. We'll lock the ship up tight, set the security codes and take a chance with the money for the vaccine by leaving it here for now. I have a feeling we won't need it to pay for the medicine anyway—but we may need it to bargain."

Luke nodded and together they raced from the cockpit, gathered up what supplies they thought they might need. Luke hesitated as he watched Chewie tear the portable med kit from the bracket on the wall, hoping against hope they wouldn't need it, but at the same time fearful it wouldn't be enough. Leaving the locked ship, Chewie asked Luke if he knew which direction to head. Luke thought for a moment and then pointed north, hoping Leia would be able to contact him again. He also knew if Han was hurt, he'd be able to sense his pain, and that could lead them directly to wherever they were; but he hoped that wouldn't be the method they had to resort to. Wordlessly they headed quickly into the night, praying they weren't too late.

Leia thought she heard Luke's anxious thoughts for a brief moment, but the fleeting contact was gone almost as quickly as it came. Even though she tried to reestablish whatever contact there had been, her focus was repeatedly interrupted as she was roughly hustled through the darkness, and her worry over Han kept her from being able to concentrate fully.

After at least an hour of being dragged through dark alleys and back streets, they finally came to a large building, one that appeared to be an old prison of some sort. The front doors were barred and locked, but opened easily enough for the men who held them captive. Shoving the Princess in ahead of them, and hauling Captain Solo in behind her, they quickly locked the doors again and ushered the two of them down a long hall, finally stopping at a non-descript cell, unlocking it, ripping the tape from her mouth and pushing her inside, then locking the door behind her.

Leia took quick inventory of the cell she found herself in, noting it had an old style canvas cot, a small refresher unit complete with water, which was a surprise, a pile of rags, sticks and other junk in a corner, a door into an adjoining cell, which she quickly discovered was locked, and a window on an inside wall. She hurried to window, peering through it and realized it wasn't a window at all, but rather a one way mirror. She could see into the next cell, but anyone in there couldn't see into hers. She quickly realized the reasoning behind this; Solo was even now being dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. He hadn't stirred or made a sound at all during their journey here and lay as he had fallen, not moving, and from all appearances, barely breathing. Leia was desperately worried about him, knowing that without treatment, a heavy stun could cause major damage.

The man who had first taken her hostage looked through the one way mirror at her and laughed, then made a sudden gesture to the man who had been carrying Han. The next thing Leia heard was the door being rattled; then it opened. She didn't stop to ask herself why they were letting her in with Han, she simply rushed to his side, turning him onto his back and checking his vitals signs. She knew from past experience it could be hours before he showed any signs of returning consciousness. Turning toward her captors intending to ask for medical supplies, she saw only the cell door being shut and heard the lock, and realized she was on her own.

Knowing there wasn't much she could do for the Captain; she tore of a few strips off her skirt, dipped them in water and returned to his side. Lifting his head onto her lap, she gently wiped his face and found herself taking advantage of his inability to see her as she studied his features. Without his usual scowl or sneer, his face appeared much younger and she realized Han was probably not nearly as old she had originally thought. She also realized again how handsome he was and found herself gently stroking the line of his jaw, wishing that just this once she had listened to him when he had pleaded with her to return to the ship, or to take extra precautions.

Leia still had no idea who had captured them, but it didn't take much imagination to figure out it was for the reward the Empire had out on her. She wondered if their captors realized who Solo was and that there was also a considerable reward out for him, thanks to his incredible flying over the Death Star, and the shot that took Vader out of the picture. She was sure Vader held him personally responsible for that defeat, possibly even more so than Luke, and would be very pleased to exact a terrible revenge on him. Solo was also bound to be fairly well known by now to the hierarchy of the Empire, thanks to the numerous rebel missions he had been on since the Death Star; missions she had usually sent him on. Leia determined she would not reveal his identity, in an effort to protect him, since she considered it all her fault they were in this mess to begin with.

The Princess spent the next hours alternately napping, wiping the Captain's face and trying to somehow reach Luke again. Occasionally she thought she felt Luke's presence and tried to concentrate harder, but was never sure if he was sensing her or not. After what seemed a very long time and just as she was wondering if Solo was more injured than she realized, she felt the first stirring of his body and heard a soft moan come from his throat. Bringing some water to his lips, she coaxed him into swallowing a few sips, knowing he would be susceptible to dehydration, as well as experiencing a monumental headache. Solo's body eventually lost its relaxed feel as he regained consciousness more fully, and he stiffened in response to both the pounding in his head and the confusion that gripped his mind. Finally managing to open his eyes slightly, he swallowed against the sudden nausea that also gripped him and tried to focus on his surroundings.

Solo couldn't decide if he had the worst hangover of all time, or a bad concussion. All he knew at first was that his head was trying to split apart and that he was lying on some hard surface, although with his head pillowed on something soft. Eventually he made out sounds and realized someone was talking to him. Concentrating fiercely, he finally made out his name and though he couldn't yet place the voice, he heard the concern as a soft female voice called to him.

"Han? Han. Can you hear me? How do you feel? Easy, don't try to move yet, you haven't had enough time to recover. Take it easy, Han." Suddenly, memory rushed back at him along with the pain in his head and he tried to push himself upright, wanting to see if Leia was all right. Waves of dizziness and nausea overwhelmed him however, and before he had gotten more than half way up, the blackness had returned and he found himself again lying prone, fighting not to throw up.

This time, he waited longer before opening his eyes, and was rewarded with the blurry vision of the Princess' face peering intently at him. "Leia?" he managed to croak through lips that were cracked and dry. "Wha' happ'ned? Ya' okay? Where. . .?"

"Shh, Han, I'm fine. You were hit with a heavy stun, you need to take it easy. We're in a cell somewhere in the city, I don't know where. Easy Han," Leia insisted as once again he tried to lever himself to a sitting position. This time he made it as far as half way up, leaning on his elbows before the pain in his head stopped him. Moaning slightly, he let his head lean back against Leia's shoulder and rested another moment before heaving himself on up until he was sitting. Reaching up with both hands, he cradled his aching head, closing his eyes again and gulping against the nausea that still threatened.

"Do you think you could take some water Han?" Leia asked in a gentle voice, placing her small hand on the back of his neck and gently massaging. "Ah, yeah, in a minute," he managed to gasp out, still trying desperately to keep the earlier liquid down. After a few more minutes of sitting with his head in his hands and letting Leia continue to rub his neck and shoulders, he managed to raise his head and look fully at her, wanting to confirm for himself that she was okay. Deciding she didn't look any the worse for wear, he managed a small grimace that was meant to be a smile and held out his hand for the cup of water she held.

Drinking it in small sips, Han looked around their bleak cell and came to the conclusion they weren't going anywhere for awhile. He'd been in enough cells over the years to know when one wasn't going to be easy to break out of. This one had concrete walls, floor and ceiling, a heavy concrete door and not much else to offer. There was no bed, not even a cement or metal slab, no refresher unit, and nothing in the walls except a mirror or window of some kind and a door leading to what he assumed was another cell since it stood open.

"Not much here, is there," he made it more a statement than a question, so Leia just shook her head. "My cell at least has a cot and a refresher unit," Leia replied, "but I guess you don't rate as high," she managed a smile as she said it. "Ah, I wondered where you got the water." Han had finished off the first cup, glad his stomach seemed to be settling down. He knew he'd be terribly thirsty for awhile, having had the "pleasure" of a heavy stun before. He also knew he was in for several hours of a major headache before he could hope for any relief, without the aid of medical treatment at least. "Would ya' mind gettin' me some more," he asked, knowing he wasn't up to standing yet, let alone trying to walk. Leia immediately got to her feet and hurried to comply, bringing him a full cup and promising him as much as he wanted.

Han sipped at the second cup, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes again as he pondered their situation. He knew Luke and Chewie would be looking for them, but with no way to contact them, and not having any idea where they were, he didn't have much hope along those lines. He thought briefly of the times Luke had said he could "hear and feel" Han if he was in pain, but he rather hoped that didn't turn out to be the way Luke found them, still not sure if he even believed it.

"Any idea how long we've been here?" he asked. Leia replied "Four or five hours at least. They took our Chronos too, so I'm not really sure. It's been quite a while though, and you wouldn't be awake much before that in any case." "Guess not. Anyone been in since they dumped us here?" Han's mind was beginning to function better, in spite of the continued pounding in his skull and he was trying to get a better feel for who might have grabbed them. "Did they say anything to you, give you any idea who they are or why they want us?"

"Not a word, except, I don't think they know who you are. They almost left you there, but when I, that is. . ." Leia's voice trailed off here, not knowing how to confess that it was her concern for him that had gotten him captured as well. "Don't worry about it, Leia," Han said, guessing what had probably happened. "You couldn't know what they'd do. But if they don't know who I am, that may be an advantage. They may be willing to trade me, or let me go, if they don't think I'm worth anything. It would be best probably, if you show 'em you don't really care what they do with me from now on. Might be our only chance for one of us to get out of here."

Leia was more than willing to give Han a chance at escape, not just because she knew he would do everything possible to then rescue her, but because she felt so responsible for his being here in the first place. "Hey flyboy, I can do that," she answered with a mischievous grin. "Remember, showing you I don't care is what I do best." Han turned to study her for a moment, surprised at how much her callous sounding words wounded him, even knowing she was just trying to lighten the mood. Not wanting her to see how they affected him, and trying to figure out why he even cared, he managed a shadow of his most annoying sneer in response and nodded sharply at her, grunting "Sure, you've had plenty of practice," before regretting his sudden movement as the headache increased.

Groaning slightly, he closed his eyes again and leaned his head back, hoping for the pain to ease up. Leia knew she'd somehow hurt him with her words and wanted to apologize, having seen the flash of pain in his eyes that had nothing to do with his headache. She settled for gently rubbing his arm and eventually his neck and shoulders. Han slumped forward, unable to resist the comfort her small but strong hands offered. How long they stayed like that, with Leia gently massaging tight muscles and him losing himself to the touch and feel of her hands, he wasn't sure. It might have gone on indefinitely if the door handle hadn't suddenly started to move.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 4**

Immediately on alert, Han glanced at Leia with an unspoken reminder not to identify him, no matter what. She nodded slightly and quickly moved back into her cell, stretching out on the cot. Han managed to climb to his feet, continuing to stare at the door, wanting to be ready for anything. It swung slowly open and the two who had captured them came in. Both had blasters out and pointed at him. Han relaxed slightly, still wanting the chance to escape but not anxious to receive another stun blast or worse.

"Well Captain, nice to see you on your feet again," the first man spoke. "I had wondered just how long you might enjoy your little nap." Han chose not to reply, just keeping a wary eye on the two men. "Not very talkative are you? Could be getting information from you might prove to be rather interesting then. We already know who your lovely companion is, and her value to Lord Vader, but I have been wondering how you figure into the picture. Care to share that information with us?" The man smiled in a most unpleasant way, almost seeming to anticipate Solo's response.

Solo perused his captors, considering his options. Finally, he nodded slightly, and cleared his dry throat. Disgusted that his voice was still weaker than he'd like, he spoke. "I'm just a hired hand, 'sposed to pilot her and protect her. Ha. Guess I won't be earning my pay this trip. Jus' let me go and I won't bother you any; you can do whatever you want with her far as I'm concerned."

The first man raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat amused. "Is that right? Well, let's just see, shall we? Jimson, why don't you go persuade her Highness to join us?"

Jimson obliged by going into Leia's adjoining cell, grabbing her by the arm, and all but dragging her back to where the others were. Han's mouth tightened at her rough treatment but he refrained from even glancing in her direction. Leia yanked her arm free of Jimson's grasp and stood to her full height, glaring at both the men; somehow managing to appear intimidating in spite of her short stature.

Jimson however just laughed and said "Well, now Trave, ain't she a sight? Thinks she's pretty special now don't she?" And Jimson suddenly grabbed the haughty princess, and wrapped his arms around her, his intentions all too clear. Only a second or two passed when he unexpectedly found himself unable to breathe as hands went around his throat choking his oxygen off at an alarming rate. Han hadn't even thought about what he was doing, he simply reacted with pure rage when he saw Leia being manhandled. Trave just laughed, pleased with what he had witnessed. "Alright, Captain, enough. Let him go." But Han was beyond being reasoned with, and even though his own vision was dimming in time with the throbbing in his head, he didn't consider letting go of the mongrel's neck, instead, he tightened his grasp even more. Jimson had let go of Leia and was now panicking – trying to pry the fingers from around his neck without much success.

Trave shook his head and joined in the fray, grabbing at Han's arms and pulling, trying to get him to let go of the other man. Leia, meanwhile had slipped out from under Jimson's arms and was stealthily heading toward the open cell door, hoping to slip out unnoticed in all the commotion. She hated the thought of leaving Han, but knew one of them should escape if at all possible. Trave however, caught sight of her and realized the situation was getting out of hand. With a sigh, he let go of Solo's arms, lifted his heavy blaster and struck Han a hard blow on the back of his head. Given his already weakened condition, Han simply folded up, unconscious for the second time within hours. Jimson gulped in great quantities of air in relief, bending over, and massaging his aching throat. Trave reversed the blaster, pointed it at the man at his feet and without even glancing toward the Princess said "One more step Your Highness, and I pull the trigger, and this time it isn't set on stun."

Leia froze in her tracks and reluctantly glanced at both Solo and the man holding the blaster on him. One look convinced her Trave was quite serious and with a defeated expression she stopped, her shoulders slumping slightly. Now somewhat recovered, Jimson straightened and with an angry look at the still man on the floor, drew his heavy boot back and smashed it into his side. Solo moaned slightly and shifted until he was turned away, but did not regain full consciousness. Leia gasped angrily and fell to her knees at Han's side, forgetting she wasn't supposed to show any concern for him. She positioned herself between him and Jimson and glared, all but daring him to strike again.

Trave gave a bark of laughter and said "Yes, Princess, I do believe you and your captain are going to be most entertaining while we're waiting for Lord Vader to arrive. Do take good care of him now, and we'll be back to see you soon." Still chuckling he motioned toward the door with his head, indicating Jimson should precede him. When they had both exited, Leia quickly ran to her cell to soak another cloth in water and hurried back to Han's side.

He was stirring slightly when she returned and she quickly knelt behind him, pressing the cool cloth onto the gash on the back of his head. "Easy Han, take it easy," she murmured as he moaned again and tried to draw away from her. She took hold of his shoulder, keeping him from rolling away from her. Gently she cleaned the cut, pressing hard to stop the blood that was oozing; glad it wasn't too deep, but knowing his head was going to hurt more than ever.

After a few more minutes, Han's eyes fluttered open and once again he tried to make sense of what was going on. His head was pounding more fiercely than ever, and he could hear Leia murmuring in the background, but was having a hard time focusing on the words. Suddenly he remembered the danger she had been in, and with a start bolted upright, looking around for her. Startled, she dropped the bloody cloth and called "Han, easy, it's okay now." Turning toward her, her face finally came into focus for him and without thinking about what he was doing he pulled her into his arms and just held onto her. "Are you all right sweetheart?" he asked, with none of the caustic sarcasm that usually accompanied that term.

Leia registered surprise at the genuine concern and care in Han's voice, as well as the use of "sweetheart" in such a way. For once she decided not to react with a defensive comment and just replied "Yes, Han, I'm fine. You're the one who got bashed in the head. How do you feel?" She twisted in his arms to peer up at him, trying to see if his eyes were clear, or if there were any signs of concussion. Sighing, Han relaxed his hold on her, but didn't completely let her go. He laid his aching head back against the wall, and then winced when that caused more pain and leaned forward again. "Ah, I'm okay, he just hit my head ya' know, nothin' serious," he managed a wry grin as he looked down at her. Leia knew his head had to be killing him, but decided not to push the issue, especially since there wasn't too much she could do about it anyway.

"Did he say anything before he left?" Han wondered, as he settled them a little more comfortably on the floor, still keeping an arm around Leia. "Well, just that he thought we were going to be, how'd he put it? 'entertaining' while waiting for Vader to get here. I don't think we did a very good job of showing we 'don't care' though." She risked a glance up at him, surprised when he sort of smiled and looked almost pleased in spite of the circumstances. He tightened his hold on her before replying. "Yeah, well, I don't know what you did, but when that bastard put his hands all over you, I, ah, well, I just saw red. I guess I didn't think about what I was doin' – I just knew I couldn't let him, you know, do anything to you." He managed to look sheepish and a little nervous about her reaction all at once. "Thank you, Han," Leia decided to keep it at that.

"Is your side all right?" Leia turned in his arms and pulled at his shirt front, wanting to check him out where Jimson had kicked him so hard. "My side?" Han queried, just now realizing it also hurt. "What about it?" "He kicked you, after you were down. Pretty hard too, I hope nothing's broken." Leia succeeded in prying his shirt away from the waistband of his jeans and gently lifted it, sucking in her breath when she saw the black and blue bruises already forming. Gently she pressed against the injury trying to determine if any bones were broken. Han gulped, and tucked his shirt back in his waistband, but made no other sound. "I think it's okay Leia, nothin' feels broken. Not much you can do about it anyway."

Leia sighed her agreement, somewhat reluctantly. "Maybe we should just try to get some rest then, I have a feeling it's not going to be much fun later on. Do you think you have a concussion? Do we need to keep you awake?" Leia looked into his eyes again, trying to gauge for herself just how injured the pilot was. Han touched a hand to the back of his head, but shook it in the negative after just a short moment. "Nah, don't think so. Doesn't feel like it. Hurts more from the stun than anything." With that, he seemed to almost fold up and after settling back as comfortably as possible on the cold floor, drawing her with him, he yawned mightily, was almost already asleep when Leia sat up suddenly.

"Stars, I'm an idiot," she said. "We can go into 'my' cell – there's a cot there, you'll be a lot more comfortable than on this hard floor." Leia got to her feet and pulled at Han's hand, tugging him until he slowly got to his feet. Still holding his hand, she led him into the next cell. He stopped at the door briefly, eyebrows lifting at the sight of her cot and the refresher unit. "Ah, Leia," he said, "go ahead, get comfortable. I'm gonna' step in here for a minute," Han indicated the 'fresher unit and made his way in, closing the door behind him.

Leia stretched out on the cot, wondering if Solo would argue about sharing it with her, or would insist on sleeping on the floor. Sure enough, when he emerged, he glanced at her, then with a quizzical look, started to ease himself down on the floor, close to her, but not asking to share the limited space. Before he got completely down, she reached for his hand and said "Come on Han, no reason for your head to hurt more than it has to. It's pretty small, but I think we can both squeeze on."

Leia was a little nervous about sharing such close quarters with a man she had always tried to avoid until now, but both the circumstances they were in and the fact she was suddenly interested in getting to know him better influenced her decision. Han hesitated a moment longer, considering whether it would make her too uncomfortable and also wondering about the message they would be sending their captors, but decided that the damage was already done. The final factor in his decision to ease on down behind her was his pounding head – he knew he wouldn't get much rest if he was on the cold, hard floor.

With a grateful look in his eyes, he murmured, "Thanks, Leia," and laid his lanky frame down, glad to be able to finally put his head on something comparatively soft. There really wasn't much room and he found that in order not to fall off, he had to turn until he was more or less facing the Princess; finally, he chuckled and said "Mind if I put my arm around you again – there just isn't much room here, is there?" and without really waiting for her permission, he slipped his right arm under her shoulders, at the same time turning her until her back was to him. Gathering her in closer and turning his body even more toward her, until they were nestled together like spoons, he felt himself begin to relax as the long day took its toll on him.

Leia had to hold her breath when she felt Han slide his arm under her and pull her close. The warmth of his thighs against the back of her legs and the feel of his muscular chest and shoulders surrounding her made her heart race. When he slid his left arm around her too, she suddenly felt safe, cocooned in his warm embrace.

Leia couldn't remember feeling like this since long before the loss of Alderan, and to her amazement she felt something deep inside her release, as the comfort offered by the smuggler penetrated the armor she had kept around herself for years. She drew a shuddering breath and found herself snuggling even closer against him, if that was possible, relaxing into his arms, for once choosing to let someone be her protector. Han had enough sense not to say a word, though he too felt his heart hammering away in his chest at the nearness of the woman in his arms.

For the longest time, he had considered Leia to be little more than a child, barely out of adolescence, and an annoying one at that, but as he tightened his grasp around her in response to her body relaxing against him, he was very aware that she was anything but a child. This was a woman he held in his arms, a very interesting and desirable one. 'Get a grip on yourself, Solo' he reprimanded himself as he felt a stirring of desire; 'it's not like this means anything. She's just scared, and truth be known, so am I.' The pounding in his head seemed to increase with the pounding in his heart and before Han realized it, his beginning passion had dissipated and he was content to simply hold Leia close, glad to be able to offer her some comfort, for a few short hours at least, from whatever lay ahead.

Neither of them felt like talking, afraid they might somehow ruin the fragile moments and emotions that were developing between them, so other than a soft "G' night," from Han and a murmured "Mmm hmm," in response, no other words were spoken before they both drifted off to sleep, lost in wonder at what they were feeling, in spite of the danger they knew they were in.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 5**

Leia was brought back to the harsh reality of the present as she watched in growing horror the brutality taking place before her eyes. She willed Han to stay down when once again he collapsed after suffering a punishing blow to his midsection, and closed her eyes to avoid seeing him take a painful kick to his side when he didn't immediately stagger to his feet, but instead lay gasping for breath. She made herself open her eyes again, and watched through her tears as he grabbed at his bruised and abraded side, and bit his lower lip, obviously struggling not to cry out, and finally reached out with his right arm for the wall, trying to haul himself upright yet again. One eye was already purple and swollen shut, his cheek badly bruised and his mouth cut and bloody.

Leia could not understand why he continually pushed his way to his feet after each vicious blow, nor why he did not try to defend himself or retaliate in any way. Instead, he simply stood immobile, waiting, apparently resigned to the next blow or kick. Once or twice, she thought he might be looking her way, but he would not allow his eyes to rest on the window where she stood watching. He occasionally snarled something at his tormentors in response to a question, but each time they only laughed and hit him again. Leia was torn between wishing he would lash out at them, knowing how he had always defended himself, and hoping he would simply pass out and not suffer any more. In desperation, she tried once more to reach Luke with her thoughts

Luke and Chewie were growing increasingly frustrated. They had gone to the cantina where the meet was supposed to have taken place, but careful questions to a few patrons had revealed nothing of value. They were reluctant to ask around too much. Without knowing what had happened to the Princess and Captain Solo, they couldn't risk too much attention. Now they were outside the cantina, and Luke was using his force sense, trying to determine where they might have gone. As they neared an alcove set back from the alley, he slowed, and turned in a slow circle. "Here, Chewie," he said softly. "Whatever happened, it happened here." Chewie looked around anxiously, not knowing what Luke was talking about. He could see no evidence of either Solo or the Princess and no real signs of a struggle, yet he knew the Captain would not go down without a fight. Unless of course, Leia was being threatened. That was about the only way to guarantee the Corellian's cooperation. "What happened, can you tell?" he whuffed at Luke. Luke closed his eyes and reached out to touch the side of the alcove, trying to sense what had taken place. He cast out, trying to feel Leia and Solo's presence and was finally rewarded with a faint impression. "I'm not completely sure what happened, but this is where they were taken. I think Han was hurt some way, or maybe stunned, I can't get a feel for him at all, but Leia was terrified, and not for herself, I think." Chewie moaned, worried about his friend and Leia both.

"I'm going to try to reach Leia again," Luke stated. "It might be easier here, where I know they were." Luke closed his eyes again and sent his thoughts arrowing out, trying to find Leia. He was concentrating so hard, it came as a surprise when he suddenly felt Leia reaching for him as well. Luke! she shouted in his mind. Where are you? Help us! Luke staggered for a moment and Chewie quickly supported him, knowing enough to just hold him up, and not distract him.

Leia? Luke asked tentatively. We're in an alley, I, I think you were here. Was Han hurt? Leia's thoughts were coming fast now and were all jumbled together. Luke could tell she was on the edge of panic, and that wasn't normal for the self-controlled Princess. It worried him more and more. He's hurt now. Leia's sense was full of regret and self recrimination. Hurry Luke, we're in a warehouse, or, or, maybe an old prison somewhere. That's all I know. Han! Leia's attention obviously turned back to the Corellian and Luke could sense her frantic worry clearly. He decided to try to reach Han directly, knowing that if Solo was hurting, he was usually 'sending' whether he meant to or not.

He cast his force sense wider, trying to find the pilot's aura, knowing he was near Leia. Suddenly Luke staggered and would have fallen had not Chewie grabbed his shoulders and propped him up. Luke groaned and doubled over, clasping his ribs. He was overwhelmed by sensations he knew to be all Solo's. "Uh, Chewie," he managed to gasp out. "Han's hurt, he's hurt bad." Luke 'felt' a blow being delivered to ribs already cracked and broken and dropped to his knees, holding onto Chewie's arm to keep from toppling over. He wanted to desperately to break contact, but knew he had to try and get a sense of direction so they would know where to look. Han! he shouted through the force. Hear me! Where are you? Tell me more….

Luke concentrated fiercely, still grasping Chewie's arm and thought he heard a faint reply. Luke? That you? Wha…? Where are you? Help Leia! Han's sense of concern was obviously not for himself, in spite of the pain he was experiencing. He wanted Leia's safety, and Luke was aware through the link that Solo was paying a high price for it. Not sure of the details, nevertheless, he could tell Solo was suffering in order to somehow keep Leia from being hurt. Another blow and Solo's pain suddenly was too great to bear. Luke lost the tenuous link he'd had with Han.

Gasping with relief, Luke pulled himself upright, and leaned against Chewie. "I know which direction to head," he whispered. "Give me a minute," he breathed hard, still trying to assimilate all he'd learned. Finally, he leaned his head back and looked Chewie in the face. "North, we keep going north. They're in a large building, ah, a, a warehouse, or old prison or something. I think I can pinpoint them when we get closer. Maybe through Leia, but for sure through Han, if he stays conscious." "What is happening to them?" Chewie was afraid to hear the answer, but needed to know. Luke squared his shoulders. "I'm not completely sure, but I think Han is. . ." he hesitated, knowing how Chewie would react, "he's being beaten, Chewie. Badly. Somehow he's protecting Leia, I couldn't make it all out." Chewie wanted to roar out his anger and frustration at being unable to protect his bond brother, or Leia, but knew he had to keep quiet. He clenched his fists and just nodded at Luke. "Lead on, then, little brother. We must find them, and quickly."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 6**

The last kick to his side had almost sent him into unconsciousness. As Solo lay gasping for breath on the floor, he could only hope the next blow would not do so. He had lost count of how many times he had been battered to the floor, only to struggle painfully and slowly to his feet each time. In spite of his exhaustion and pain, he knew he had to continue getting up. His mind wondered and for a moment, he suddenly thought he heard Luke. In that moment, he remembered that Luke seemed to have an uncanny ability to reach him if he was hurting. 'Well,' he thought wryly to himself, 'this certainly qualifies.' Luke! he didn't question how he knew the kid could hear him; he just tried to reach him. Where are you? Never mind. Mentally he shook his head. Help Leia!

Han had managed to pull himself to his feet during this exchange and his attention was not on the next blow. So when it was delivered, he hadn't prepared for it at all, and with the pain that burst through his side, his vision blacked out briefly and the next thing he knew, he was flat on his back again, with no memory of how he'd gotten there and whatever link he'd had to Luke, broken. As he lay on the floor with his vision swimming, gasping for breath and trying to find the will power to get up once more, his mind seemed to wander where it wanted to go, and he couldn't find the strength to stop it. . .

Not sure if he was dreaming or what, he seemed to be back in the cell, his arms still around Leia, drowsily trying to determine if it was morning or not. As he lay still, listening to the sound of her breathing, he thought back to the way they had given into their exhaustion, sharing the warmth and comfort of the cot and each other's company. Though he had wanted nothing more than to just enjoy the moment, the door had abruptly burst open.

Han bolted upright at the first sound, pushing Leia behind him, afraid for her. His head still throbbed, but not as badly as it had before he'd gone to sleep. Still, he fought to keep from wavering from the dizziness he felt with his sudden movement. Once his vision cleared, he saw that Trave and Jimson were back, with a third man. It was this third man that immediately held Han's attention.

He was simply put, huge. From Han's sitting position, he seemed almost as big as Chewie, and probably every bit as strong. But it wasn't just his obvious strength that suddenly turned Han's insides to jelly. It was the lack of anything resembling humanity in his eyes. At least Jimson and Trave had exhibited signs of amusement and even greed and lust, things Han could recognize and deal with. This man simply looked empty, and there was something else that Han couldn't quite place, but that made him gulp slightly and shift back toward Leia. Han wasn't often afraid, having been in too many dangerous situations to waste much time worrying about his safety. It only took him a moment to realize what was so disconcerting.

The man's eyes followed him like he was some kind of helpless prey, resting on him and seeming to weigh him, trying to decide how much trouble it would be to trap him like a wounded animal. After a moment of this scrutiny, the giant's mouth curled in something resembling a smile, but without any hint of normal pleasure. Solo heard Leia gasp from behind him, and decided on the spot that he would die before he let this monster get anywhere near the Princess. Hardening his resolve, he got to his feet and leaned nonchalantly against the wall, hoping to disguise his continued unsteadiness. "Well," he drawled in his best 'I don't give a damn voice,' "You come to let us go already? That's right thoughtful of you."

Trave narrowed his eyes, trying to judge how much of Solo's bravado was put on and how much was real. Smiling, he replied, "Why no, Captain. We're here for the entertainment." "Really?" Solo shot back. "And here I thought we'd be bored with nuthin' to do all day." Trave burst out laughing at this remark, seeming to find it extremely funny. "I'd like you to meet my, ah, 'friend,' Captain; he's here to facilitate today's festivities. This is Pix and I have a feeling you're going to get to know him very well; very well indeed."

Trave turned toward Jimson and gestured toward Leia, who was still seated on the cot. "Keep her here," he said shortly. "Captain? If you would please," and he indicated with a wave of his arm that the Corellian was to precede him out of the cell. However, Han just raised an eyebrow and didn't move until the giant, after a lingering look at the Princess shuffled out ahead of them. Only then did Han move, glancing at Leia on his way out and trying to communicate with his eyes that he didn't want her to try anything.

Leia didn't have a clue what to try, even if she hadn't been blocked by Jimson from making any kind of move. She looked up at Han, with fear, determination and regret warring for domination in every line of her face. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she seemed to settle on regret. Han wasn't sure if she was still blaming herself for the mess they were in, or might possibly be regretting the fact it appeared they wouldn't be spending more time together anytime soon.

As soon as they went through the adjoining door, it was slammed and locked behind them. Han didn't like the idea of Jimson being left with Leia, but didn't know what he could do about it, and at least the giant of a man wasn't alone with her. Of course, he didn't much like the idea of being locked in a room with him either.

"Captain, you've got one chance to tell me who you are," Trave said in a conversational tone. "Go to hell, Trave," Solo responded without even considering the man's words. "I figured that's what you'd say. So, let me tell you the rules of this next little game. See, even though Vader has said he'd take the Princess dead or alive, everyone knows he'd prefer her alive, and to my way of thinking, that means he'd prefer her undamaged as well. However, if necessary, I won't hesitate to hurt her, or even kill her. I need to make sure you understand the truth of that. For that reason, Jimson will remain with her, to ensure your cooperation, shall we say." Han's eyes were cold as he glared at Trave, but he didn't say anything in return.

Trave continued, "I also see that she seems to care a great deal about what happens to you, so though I'm sure you won't be inclined to talk, maybe she will if she doesn't like what's happening to you. And I'm thinking that anything the Princess has to share, say about the rebellion? … would be information that might be most welcome to Lord Vader and could substantially increase my reward. So, please keep that in mind. I don't suppose there is anything you'd want to tell me right now is there?"

Solo just glared at him, knowing his silence meant he was undoubtedly in for some major punishment, but he was determined not to say anything that might jeopardize either Leia, Luke, Chewie or any of his friends back on the hidden base. He knew he'd rather die first. He wondered briefly just when all these people had become more important to him than his own well being. Chewie and he had always had each other's back, but he wasn't used to having to worry about others in his life. He was even more startled when he realized that most anyone in the rebellion would do the same for him, especially Luke, Leia, Wedge and some of his closer pilot buddies. He only hoped they wouldn't threaten Leia directly; he knew she would also die rather than betray the alliance, but he didn't think he could just stand by and watch anything happen to her. In fact, he knew he couldn't. Han realized that whatever it took he had to keep the attention focused on him. He couldn't hope to keep quiet if they tried to hurt Leia.

"I didn't think so Captain. Which brings me to the next part of the 'rules.' You see, I suspect that you'd do almost anything rather than let the Princess be hurt. Your behavior to date has certainly shown that. Why, you scared Jimson nearly to death when you tried to choke the life out of him, and he just wanted to have a little fun, poor man." Trave chuckled, an evil sound indeed, and Han began to realize he wasn't much more humane than the man known as Pix. He had a sinking feeling Trave was going to enjoy whatever was coming next way too much. "So, Captain, here's the thing. I'm going to let Pix do whatever he wants to with you – and his specialty is simply beating things to death, by the way. For some reason, he enjoys that more than anything else, and I have to admit, I don't mind letting him have his way, I find it very entertaining. But he gets most annoyed if his victims don't cooperate. And none of us like it when Pix gets annoyed."

Trave actually chuckled, an evil sound to Han's way of thinking. But he didn't let on how unsettling the whole thing was. Trave continued, "So, if you don't cooperate – that is, if you give up too quickly, why then I'll let Jimson have his way with the Princess. No matter how often you go down, I expect you to get right back up and take whatever Pix deals out without so much as a whimper. I realize that eventually, you'll probably either pass out or die; but if you do it too quickly, then the Princess suffers. Do we understand each other?"

Solo gulped, he hadn't expected this turn of events. He was fairly confident he could keep from spilling any secrets, but if he had no idea how long he was expected to last before Leia was hurt, it was going to make this much more difficult than he had anticipated. He didn't doubt what Trave was saying for one minute, the longer he spent with the man; the more he realized he was one of those individuals who thrived on other people's pain and humiliation.

Apparently he hesitated too long to suit Trave, because before Han could blink, he saw him make a gesture toward the one way window in his cell and the next thing he knew, Leia was being brought in to stand before him. Han saw the way Jimson was holding her tightly by her arm, and stiffened, but didn't make a move toward her at that point. Trave just smiled again, and said "Perhaps you didn't think I was serious, Captain. Jimson?" Jimson turned the unsuspecting Princess toward him and struck her four hard blows across the face in quick succession. Her head snapped back and in her surprise, she couldn't keep tears from pooling in her lovely eyes. Once again, Han didn't stop to think; as before when she had been threatened, he simply reacted. In one move, he had crossed the distance between them, had Jimson by the arm, whirled him around and hit him with a mighty right hook that sent him spinning, then flopping to the ground, rubbing his sore jaw in amazement. Han was set to dive on top of the man and finish him off, when he felt his arms grabbed from behind and pulled up behind his back.

He continued to struggle, still so angry over Leia's treatment that he wasn't thinking straight. Before he knew what was happening, he felt his arms being pulled higher, and even as his mind told him to stop, his emotions wouldn't let him. Instead, using the man behind him as leverage, he lashed out toward Jimson with his feet, striking the man on the chin with a boot heel and watching with satisfaction as his head snapped back sharply and he slumped to the floor. As quickly as that victory took place, Han was aware he'd made a mistake. A vicious wrench of his left arm and hand, along with a twisting motion, and he felt as well as heard a bone in his wrist snap. He grunted as the pain registered, but it also served to clear his head and he realized he wasn't going to do any good by continuing his attack on the hapless man now cowering at his feet. He purposely relaxed, closing his mouth tightly to keep from expressing the pain that raced along his hand and arm.

Leia had recovered from shock of being hit by now and shouted at Trave, "Stop it. Make him stop," pointing at the giant that still held Han in a vice grip. She started to advance, but Han shook his head and said "No, Leia, leave it." The sudden grimace of pain on his face as Pix tightened his hold on Han's arm stopped her in her tracks.

Trave smiled again, and said, "Now that went well, don't you think? Jimson, get on your feet, take the Princess back to her cell and try not to let her overcome you, do you think you can manage that?" Jimson got to his feet and glared at Solo. "This isn't over, you scum. You'll pay for that. Pix will make you pay." He grabbed the Alderani none too gently and marched her out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

Trave looked at Solo again and said "All right Pix, you can let him go now." Pix immediately released his hold on Solo, who had to quickly bite his lip to keep from crying out as his arm fell forward. He grasped his left wrist with his right hand, but made no sound, instead looking at Trave with murder in his eyes. "Now Captain, one more time, do you understand the rules? You must get to your feet each time you fall until I say otherwise, you must attempt to keep from making a sound, no matter what Pix does to you and by the way, any measure you take to defend yourself whatsoever will result in the immediate and severe punishment of your Princess. Well?" Han continued to glare his defiance, but immediately nodded his head, not wanting to risk another demonstration that might cause Leia any more pain.

"Wonderful," Trave smiled congenially, as if Han had just accepted an invitation to spend a carefree evening eating dinner with him. "Shall we begin? Pix? If you would, and please try to keep blows to his head at a minimum, I don't want him losing consciousness too soon. Oh, and Captain, at any point if you wish the 'entertainment' to end, you have only to signal your willingness to share information with me. Information of the kind Vader desires of course." Han noticed he hadn't indicated Leia could stop things in a similar manner, and wondered briefly at that, until the first blow that Pix struck him sent him reeling. He realized he'd better keep his thoughts focused, or he would break some of Trave's "rules" and then Leia would pay a price, something Han wanted most adamantly to avoid.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 7**

Unknown to the Corellian, Leia had stood at the window, with Jimson hovering close by, but not saying a word even when Leia swallowed her distaste of speaking to the man and asked what was to be done with the Captain. Jimson just smiled in a sick sort of way and indicated Leia should watch. Leia kept her eyes on Han's face, wondering what was being said to him when she saw him nod his head sharply. Before she had time to wonder what was next, she saw Pix hit Han a fearful blow to his back, causing him to stagger forward and almost go to his knees. She fully expected he would come up fighting, and so was most surprised when he simply regained his balance and turned to face the giant without even opening his mouth.

Leia grew more and more confused as she watched Han take blow after blow, a few to his face and head, but most to his arms, ribs, stomach, chest and back, without any effort on his part to either defend himself, or to utter a word. Instead, he seemed intent on simply regaining his feet whenever he was knocked down, and facing the beast who continued to hit him with his fists, or kick him if Han took too long to get up.

The first blow to his back had been hard, but as they continued, Han began to despair that he could keep the 'rules' as set forth by Trave. The first time he went to his knees, he was flattened by Pix' boot as it impacted his ribcage. Unable to restrain a grunt of pain, as he felt a rib snap, Solo desperately hoped that wouldn't be enough to cause Leia to be hurt. He climbed to his feet as quickly as he could and was glad when Trave either hadn't heard his sound of pain or chose to ignore it. Han clamped his mouth shut, gritting his teeth against the increasing pain as Pix seemed to find more and more places to hit him that left him gasping for breath.

Once, when he had managed to gain his feet rather quickly, Pix grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around and hurled him into the wall. He broken wrist hit the wall hard and he felt his vision dimming. Somehow, he managed to stay on his feet, though he doubled over. This seemed to enrage Pix, who appeared to especially enjoy it whenever Han hit the floor. He smacked him directly in the face, causing his head to snap back against the wall. Han's vision narrowed some more and he thought he might pass out with the force of the blow, but a mighty kick to his right thigh by Pix' huge foot caused his leg to buckle, and the shock of that pain restored his consciousness, even as he lost his precarious balance and once again found himself face down on the cold cement. He lay there for just moment, feeling his eye swelling and tasting blood. 'So much for not hittin' me in the head' he thought. Wearily, he hauled himself up, limping badly as he tried to keep to his feet.

Time after time he was knocked down, and Pix seemed to take special delight in delivering kicks whenever he took more than a few seconds to at least start getting to his feet. Han knew he had to have several cracked and broken ribs after 15 or 20 minutes of the continued beating. He could only hope one didn't puncture a lung; he was having enough trouble catching his breath as it was.

Another direct blow to his broken wrist had him reeling, sending him to his knees. Before he could recover, one more hard kick to his side put him on the floor again. This time, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to force his body to get up, as his head spun and his vision blurred in time with his heart rate. It was then he had first heard Luke's contact, after which his mind had wondered back to the morning, even as he groped for the wall, trying to get enough leverage to heave himself up.

Remembering what had brought them to this point didn't help him feel any better. Still afraid that Leia would suffer if he didn't somehow find the strength to rise, he pushed hard against the wall and managed to gain a half upright position, up on one knee, still fighting to retain his hold on consciousness, not knowing if Trave would consider this 'enough' if he passed out. His broken ribs protested the movement, causing him to gasp for breath and swallow convulsively.

"What's the matter Captain?" Trave taunted, signaling Pix to hold up. "Are you forgetting the rules?" Han managed to glare his rage at the man, but held his tongue, again afraid Leia might suffer if he said anything. Trave turned toward the window, smiling toward the Princess he knew had to be watching. "Well, Captain," he said as he turned back toward the breathless Corellian, "I think maybe that's enough for now. It's obvious neither you nor the Princess are quite ready to talk, and I haven't had breakfast yet, so what do you say we let it rest for now?" Han just managed to keep from keeling over, instead, he relaxed slightly, but stayed up on his knee, and leaned on the wall, not wanting to fall flat on his face quite yet.

Leia watched from the next room with her heart in her throat, wanting desperately to know what was going on; it seemed as though Han had relaxed ever so slightly with whatever Trave had told him. She observed as Trave made a gesture to Pix, who then shuffled over to the door, opened it and left. Trave then waved toward Jimson, who grabbed the Princess by the arm again and hauled her into the other cell. As soon as Jimson released her she immediately went to Han, but though she placed a gentle hand on his arm and tried a tremulous smile for his benefit, she said nothing. Han, for his part appreciated both her touch and not having to try to speak just then. He was having trouble just keeping his breathing somewhat even, and was trying not to tremble and shake, knowing his effort to remain somewhat upright was failing fast. In fact, with the comfort offered by the lovely Alderani Princess, suddenly even staying on his knee was too much and he found himself sitting back rather abruptly, shaking his head, trying to hear whatever it was Trave was saying.

"Captain, you don't seem to be attending to what I'm telling you," Trave's voice was full of amusement, "so I'll give these instructions to the Princess instead. Lord Vader will be arriving within one to two standard days and I want you both in condition to welcome him. So, please try to keep the Captain alive while we're away, will you? Now don't look so shocked, my dear; you could have stopped this with just a little information about the rebellion, you know." At Leia's stunned look, Trave smiled maliciously and said "What? Did Jimson forget to tell you that? Oh dear, what a shame. And there you stood, watching all this, when you could have prevented it with just a word. Really Jimson, what were you thinking?" With that, Trave walked to the open door waving at Jimson to accompany him and Leia could hear him telling his flunky on his way out "Well, that was very entertaining, don't you think? But I'm sure we can do better…"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry to be so long in updating. Just a busy life interfering with what I really want to be doing. I'll try to do better.

I'm looking for a beta reader – if anyone is interested, please let me know. And like everyone – I live for reviews. Thanks. Now on with the story.

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**The Way It Should Be**

**Chapter 8**

Leia waited only until the door closed before turning to Han. "Han, are you alright?" she asked knowing even as the words left her mouth how silly that question was. With the closing of the cell door, all of Han's remaining strength drained from him. When he opened his eyes again, after watching everything go dark, the last thing he remembered clearly was trying to keep from collapsing as the Princess caressed his arm.

"Wha…?" he managed to choke out, as she hovered anxiously over him. "Never mind, do you want some water?" Leia asked. "Ah sure, Leia," Han swallowed and forced the words out between his bleeding lips. He concentrated then on simply not shuddering too much as he watched her leave his side and disappear into the other cell. He only thought to close his eyes for a second, but the next awareness he had was Leia's voice calling to him, "Han. Han! Can you hear me? Here, drink this." And something cool was pressed against his bruised lips. He gratefully swallowed the liquid offered to him, resisting the urge to cough as he tried to keep his breathing steady. "Thanks," he croaked, wanting to say more, but not able to.

Han knew there was something he wanted to ask the diminutive Alderani kneeling beside him, but just now he couldn't get his thoughts together enough to remember what it was. Urgent concerns pounded at him, and again he tried to ask her something—"Wha..; ya' 'ok? Did..?" his voice trailed off as his memory of what was so important failed him again when another spasm of pain struck him, and he had to clamp down hard to keep from groaning out loud. "Easy Han, it's okay. I'm fine." Leia hurried to reassure him, somehow knowing that his concern was more for her than himself, even though he surely needed care more than she did. "Do you think you could make it into the other cell? The cot would be a lot more comfortable than this floor."

Leia slipped her arm under his head, trying to help him up, even as she wondered if it was worth the effort. Han just heard part of what she said and somehow thought she wanted to enjoy the comfort of the cot; in his confused state it didn't seem unreasonable to him, so he was willing to make the effort to accommodate her. "Guess so," his response was more of a gasp than a word. Heaving himself up off the floor, he was glad it was at Leia's request, rather than to keep Trave and Pix from inflicting more abuse. With her help, he reached his feet after a valiant effort and slowly, one foot at a time, they made their way to the other cell.

Han was grateful when Leia helped him ease down on the cot, unable to stifle a moan at the pain the movement caused his ribs. He knew he would be in serious trouble if one of them punctured a lung and hoped the trouble he was having catching his breath was just from the pain of his injuries and not from something worse. He also knew he was especially susceptible to pneumonia having had it many times in the past and hoped it could be avoided this time. Too tired to even swing his legs up on the cot, he was simply grateful to be able to lay his throbbing head down.

Leia made her way quickly to the refresher unit again, and when she came back her skirt was several inches shorter. She had torn off several strips of cloth so she would have some bandages. Using one she had gotten wet, she began gently wiping at the blood on Solo's face, trying to see how bad the injury beneath was. Solo's head was throbbing, and he had to keep himself from turning away from Leia's ministrations as she pressed harder. "This is a bad gash Han, your eye is already swollen shut." Han refrained from answering; he was finding it difficult just to keep his breathing regulated.

Leia finished cleaning the gash on Han's temple, and decided against trying to bandage it. Though it looked bad, it wasn't bleeding heavily and she had limited resources. Wiping a hand across her brow, she sat back on her heels considering what to do next. Noting that Han's breathing was becoming more and more labored she decided she needed to check his ribs. "Han, do you think you could sit up some? I want to see how bad your ribs are." Han heard her voice as if from a distance but nodded mutely and struggled to do as Leia asked. With a gasp of pain, and with Leia's help, he managed to ease himself up until he was leaning against the wall.

Leia gently pulled Han's shirt out of his waistband and lifted it until his stomach and chest were exposed. She knew he had to be hurting badly when he refrained from any comments about her undressing him. Leia looked in shock at the extent of the damage done by Pix' fists and boots. Han's sides were cut and abraded and dark purple and black bruising indicated broken bones. His left side looked particularly bad, the bones obviously displaced. She saw he was having difficulty breathing and hoped he didn't have a collapsed or punctured lung. "Han," she asked gently, "how hard is it to breathe? Do you feel like you have a punctured lung?" "Uh," Han grunted, "don't think so. Not sure, but probl'y not."

He took a few experimental deep breaths and though his face paled noticeably, and his right hand pressed against his side, Leia couldn't hear any gurgling sounds to indicate a puncture. "He did, ah, a good job, huh?" Han asked, trying to manage a grin for Leia's sake. "That's one way of looking at it, I guess," Leia responded tartly. "I'm going to try and wrap your ribs for you, Han, maybe that will help. I don't know what else to do. Try not to move anymore than you have to."

Leia took the strips of cloth she had torn off and tied several together, then began gently winding them around Han's torso. They didn't go as far as she had hoped and she wanted to save some for a splint and sling for his arm if possible. She began pulling them tight in an effort to both conserve some bandages and to bind his ribs as tightly as possible. Han made no sound, but Leia saw how tightly his right hand clenched the side of the cot and how his lips were pressed together. She wished he didn't feel he had to keep his pain under such tight control around her, but knew he was notorious for not letting anyone know how badly he was hurting any time he was injured. Finishing with the wraps, she tied the bandages under his right arm and gently eased him back until he was leaning against the wall again. Pushing her hair back from her face, she frowned, considering how to best take care of his broken wrist.

Looking around the cell again, she spotted the small pile of debris in the corner and going to it, she searched until she found a few sticks and pieces of wood. Bringing them back, she considered the few pieces of cloth she had left and with a sigh began tearing more strips off the bottom of her rapidly shrinking skirt. Han heard the noise and this time couldn't quite keep a small smirk from forming. "Hey yer worship, ya' better be careful there. Don't want anyone gettin' the wrong idea." He tried to leer at her, but the effect was ruined both because one eye refused to open at all and because his expression looked more like a grimace of pain than the leer it was supposed to be. Leia didn't have the heart to scold him, she just said "shut up, Solo," and let it pass. Han managed a slight chuckle before leaning his head back and responding "shutting up."

Finished with her tearing, Leia placed a hand on Han's knee to get his attention. "Han, I'm going to try and splint your wrist, and then put it in a sling. I'm sorry, but it's going to hurt." "'S okay, Princess," Han murmured. "It already does." Leia gently took the injured limb in both of her soft hands and felt carefully for the broken bone. Trying to ignore Han's grunt of pain and quick intake of breath she pressed, trying to see if she could push the bones into proper alignment. After manipulating his wrist for a few moments and seeing the sweat break out on Han's forehead, she gave up and just placed the pieces of wood she had found on either side of his arm. She was trying to decide how to hold them in place while wrapping his arm, when Han's right hand suddenly pushed hers' aside and held the sticks firmly in place. Slightly amazed at his fortitude, Leia took the strips of cloth and wrapped his arm as tightly as she could. She noticed him gulping and swallowing, but true to form, he didn't make a sound. Finishing, she took the last long piece of cloth and fashioned a sling, gently placing Han's arm in it.

Observing the Captain's closed eyes, shallow breathing and the way he hunched slightly forward, she asked "Do you want to lie down Han? Do you think you'd be more comfortable?" Han just shook his head slightly, not trusting himself to speak, but knowing his breath came easier when he was at least partly upright. Right now he was just trying to get control of the pain before he opened his eyes.

Leia moved about the room, straightening things up and rinsing the bloody cloths out in the refresher. She kept a close eye on Han and when she noticed his body relax and his mouth go slack, she quickly eased him down until he was lying flat. Wishing she had a pillow for him, nevertheless, she was glad he was finally beyond the pain for awhile.

After getting a drink of water and cleaning things up the best she could, she cleaned herself up in the 'fresher unit, made sure she had water handy for when Han would need it, and gently sat down, easing his head onto her lap.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Again, my deepest apologies for going so long in between chapters. I have a new job and have just been very busy. But things have now settled down some and I have a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go from here. I will do my best to post a new chapter every day or so until it is completed

Reviews, as always, are welcomed.

**The Way It Should Be **

**Chapter 9 **

Luke and Chewie were heading relentlessly north. Although Luke did not know their final destination, he was absolutely sure of the direction. Anytime he faltered, all he had to do was take a minute and "listen" for Han; then he knew exactly which way to proceed. Luke's countenance was getting grimmer and grimmer as time went on. Chewie didn't know whether to be more concerned for the young Jedi, or his life bonded friend.

After one such incident after which Luke appeared not only concerned, but very angry, Chewie asked, "Luke. What is happening? I know Han must be hurting, but you cannot continue to take this on yourself much longer." Luke sighed and stopped his forward movement, briefly resting against a wall. "I don't know for sure Chewie. But every time I think I'm losing the direction, I just have to try and reach Han – and I know exactly which way to go. I wish I knew what was happening. He's, he's in so much pain, and Leia is in agony too – of a different kind. I just don't know how much more either of them can take."

Chewie moaned softly, hating the thought of his friends hurting, but knowing the only thing they could do was continue. "Luke," he admonished gently, "You are doing all you can. Do not take it out on yourself. Let's just get to them as quickly as possible."

Determined not to delay help any longer than necessary, Luke squared his shoulders and they resolutely headed north again. Luke proceeded at a good pace, but after what seemed an eternity had passed, but in reality was only about 15 minutes, Luke suddenly came to a halt. He closed his eyes and concentrated fiercely for a minute, then relaxed. He turned anxious eyes toward the Wookie, and shook his head. "I can't feel him anymore; and Leia, I can almost sense her – but she's just, I don't know. Really preoccupied." Chewie moaned and leaned his head against the near wall, concern evident in his eyes for his bond brother and the Princess. "Is he--? Do you think he's still alive?" Chewie forced himself to ask the young pilot. "Yes." Luke was certain of that. "He's probably unconscious. I guess we'll continue north, and I'll keep trying to reach Leia." So saying, Luke head out again, Chewie coming along behind and watching his back.

After another 10 minutes or so, Luke was growing more and more confused on where to head next. Just as he was unsure of how to proceed, Chewie reached out and pulled him back into a small alley to their left. Looking up at Chewie in confusion, Luke listened as Chewie quietly indicated he'd heard someone a little further ahead of them. Luke nodded, and motioning for Chewie to be on the lookout, stretched out with his senses, aware that there the last thing they needed was to walk into some sort of trap. They had been traveling in a primarily deserted section of the town, and hadn't seen anyone for some time.

After observing for a few minutes, Luke relaxed. "Chewie," he said, "it's just some kids. Maybe they'll know what's located in this area – somewhere they might be being held." Chewie considered for a moment, then indicated Luke should probably approach them alone – since just the sight of Chewie's massive strength and size would probably scare them into a quick retreat.

Luke cautiously moved into the line of sight of the three teenaged beings he saw – one obviously female and two males. Luke projected feelings of calm and reassurance as he proceeded toward them. They seemed jittery and nervous, but a bit of judicious probing with the force and he realized they were more concerned about being caught out past curfew, than in facing down a lone stranger.

Thankful for the universal translators all rebels wore, he spoke to the tallest of them, who took a step toward Luke with an inquiring look on his face. "Ah, hey," Luke said. "I'm Luke." He extended his hand and the boy took it, a little reluctantly. "I'm Janst, this is Linder," he said jerking his head toward the girl, "and that loser is Dannell." Luke nodded at each of them in turn and said, "I'm kind of new in your city and I think maybe I'm lost. Any chance you could give me some directions?" The tall boy looked Luke up and down for a moment or two, and then apparently decided he wasn't very threatening. "Sure," he replied. "Me and my buddies know pretty much everything there is to know about this dump of a town. What 'er ya' looking for?"

"Well, that's the problem," Luke smiled. "I'm not entirely sure. We, ah, that is I, have some friends I'm supposed to be meeting, to ah, pick up some merchandise. We kind of got our wires crossed; I thought they were going to be in a warehouse around here somewhere, but they aren't where I thought they'd be. I was just wondering if there are any other large buildings in the area north of here?" Since Luke didn't know exactly what kind of place Han and Leia were being held in, he decided to leave his inquiry pretty open ended.

Janst furrowed his brow as he gave Luke's question some thought. "Well," he said slowly, "there are a bunch of warehouses around, but none of them are really in the north area. Are ya' sure it's a warehouse you're looking for?" Linder frowned slightly, and then looked at Luke. "What kinds of merchandise are looking for? I mean, is it containers of stuff? Or goods you're picking up to take off world? " She rushed on without waiting for Luke's response. 'Cuz, there's this one place that people use sometimes. But usually only if you're looking for a secure place to store things."

Dannell added, "Not too many people know about it though, and usually off-worlders don't have access. But if your friends knew someone, one of the owners, then maybe they'd store stuff there."

Luke nodded, considering this information in the light of what his force sense was telling him. It seemed to "feel" right somehow. He risked a glance toward Chewie, raising his eyebrows in silent communication. Chewie inclined his head forward ever so slightly, wanting to indicate Luke should proceed, but not wanting to give his position away.

"Well, that kinda' sounds like something worth looking into, at least," he said, smiling at the trio. "You wouldn't happen to know how to get there, and fairly quickly, would you?" he asked, again using the force to "nudge" at them.

Suddenly all three teenagers couldn't seem to give him information fast enough. Luke listened for a minute, trying to sort out what they were telling him, and finally he raised his hand, and grinned at them. "Hey, hold on. Maybe we could pay you to lead us there," he said. "It sounds like its a little complicated getting around in this city of yours."

Janst looked around, and his left eyebrow quirked up. "Us?" he questioned. "I don't see nobody but you mister." Luke sighed, and motioned Chewie forward. "I'm traveling with a friend, but he's a little overwhelming, so he was staying back until I got a chance to talk to you." Chewie stepped into the slightly more lighted area Luke and the three were standing in. Linder's eyes nearly popped out of her head, and she took an involuntary step backwards. Janst gulped, but held his ground, moving slightly in front of Linder.

It was Dannell's reaction that held Luke and Chewie's attention the most, however. He actually took a step forward, and stuck his hand out toward Chewie. Chewie grasped it, engulfing the human's small hand in his huge paw. Dannell grinned, and threw a look back over his shoulder at his two companions. "My cousin's first mate on a ship that has a crew of Wookies," he said. "You two should see the looks on your faces."

At that, the tension in the air seemed to break, and both Janst and Linder looked a little shamefaced. "Aww, I wasn't scared," Linder said, although she still made no move toward the giant towering over all of them. "Anyway, do you guys want to stand here gawking all night, or should we head north?"

Luke immediately stopped smiling, when his mind returned to the agony he knew his friends were enduring, and nodded. "If you wouldn't mind showing us where this building is, we'd be grateful," he said. He knew time was getting short, at least for one Corellian and a lovely princess. He'd rescued her once, and wasn't about to give up now. "Sure," he said, and they headed out. Luke redoubled his efforts at trying to get through to them, concentrating fiercely on Leia's aura – hoping he could reach her. He was startled when he was able to sense her almost immediately. He could tell she was much calmer than she had been earlier, and he took that as a good sign. Reaching toward her, he "sent" a message: _Leia – hold on. We're coming. Just hold on and keep concentrating on me. _As the little group continued north, he was concentrating so much on Han and Leia's situation that he failed to notice they were being quietly trailed.

Leia spent the next several hours alternately trying to keep Han still and quiet and trying to get some rest herself. He was obviously exhausted – being beaten half to death would do that to a person she supposed, but every time he roused slightly, he would tense, and then try to heave himself up – often calling her name before he realized where he was and what was going on. Leia herself was feeling the exhaustion and had managed to get semi comfortable, enough she was able to drift off into a restless sleep.

She had no idea how much time had passed when something startled her awake. She quickly checked on Han, and though alarmed at how warm he felt – he was obviously running a fever – she could see he was fairly deeply asleep – or unconscious, she wasn't sure which, and knew it wasn't him that had awakened her. Confused, she eased Han's head off her lap, stood up and stretched. She walked around the small cell a little, trying to ease her cramped muscles. After a quick stop in the refresher unit, she took a closer look at Han. He was moaning a little now, and tossing his head back and forth, ever so slightly. Leia grabbed one of the rags that used to be part of her skirt, rinsed it out again and began gently wiping Han's face and neck, trying to soothe him to wakefulness.

As she did so, she wondered how much time had passed and suddenly realized she hadn't tried to reach Luke in way too many hours. Realizing her best chance was before Han resumed full consciousness, she relaxed and cast out, trying to sense Luke's presence as before. This time she was much calmer and wasn't even startled when she felt Luke's call. In fact, she realized that was what had awakened her in the first place. Leia started to call for help, but then gathered her thoughts, aware that Luke was obviously already trying to find them. "_Listening_" with her mind, she was able to get the sense that Luke was bringing help; she should hold on and keep trying to help him find them.

Leia absently continued stroking Han's face while thinking of Luke and gradually realized the Captain had stopped his restless moaning and tossing and was laying quietly, eyes open, watching her intently. "Han," she cried. "You're awake. How do you feel?" Han remained quiet for a few another moments; then answered honestly: "Like shit. And I'm really thirsty – do ya' think I could…ah," and he broke off, suddenly overcome with a fit of coughing.

Leia quickly got to her feet and got some water, easing it to Han's lips and dribbling a little into his mouth. She watched with great sympathy as his coughing increased, and helped him into a sitting position as he struggled for each breath. Finally, the spell abated and he was able to drink a little more water. Leaning his aching head back against the hard concrete wall, he shuddered slightly, then asked, "I don't supposed anyone has been along and offered us a way outa' here yet?"

Leia smiled at his thinly veiled attempt to lighten the mood, and just shook her head. "But," she replied, "You'll be pleased to know that the force you so adamantly don't believe in is working. Luke is on his way, and I'd bet a year's worth of Kaffe Chewie is with him." Han just snorted, and then regretted that action as it set him to coughing again. Leia immediately started to help him, but froze as they both heard the lock in the cell door start to rattle. She and Han exchanged glances and Han grimly tried to get to his feet. He got as far as half way up when the door opened.

If they had been wary before, what they saw next struck terror at the core of their very beings.

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	10. Chapter 10

A/N – I apologize for the short chapter, but at least I have one to upload. I'll try very hard to get a few more posted this weekend. Continued reviews are coveted.

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**The Way It Should Be **

**Chapter 10 **

Luke and Chewie and the three young people continued on their way, pausing only long enough for Dannell, who had taken the lead, to get his bearings. During one such pause, Chewie pulled Luke aside. "Luke," he said. "I've been thinking – perhaps we've been a bit shortsighted. If, no, **when**, we rescue Leia and Han, it is obvious at least Han will need serious medical attention. I'm not sure the Falcon's med facilities will be able to handle it. I wonder if we shouldn't try to contact the base, and have them send a med shuttle?"

Luke thought for a little, processing what he knew about the mission and how long it would take a shuttle to reach them – if the alliance would even spare one for them. He knew if it was Leia who was injured, they would send help immediately. He wanted to think they would for Han, but he also knew it depended entirely on who processed the request. And, he knew they would not jeopardize the location of the hidden rebel base for anyone; security had been getting tighter and tighter as it was in the past few months.

Finally he sighed and told Chewie, "I'm not sure that would help much. By the time one could reach us – if they decided to send one, it could easily be too late. I'm afraid we're on our own. Maybe, if it comes to it, they (he jerked his head toward their three companions) will help."

As if summoned by his thoughts, Dannell turned back from where he had been talking to the other two and threw a grin over his shoulder – one that was slightly reminiscent of a certain incorrigible Corellian. Luke felt a pang of hope, mixed with fear, shoot through him, and hoped desperately that Han and this young man would be able to meet. He knew they would instinctively like each other. Dannell waved them on, apparently having decided on a shortcut.

Just as Luke and Chewie started to follow them, Luke suddenly got a sense of another presence, near them, shadowing them. He caught just a brief feeling that while the other person was trying to hide, he didn't seem particularly threatening – in fact, he – or they - seemed somewhat familiar. Luke frowned in puzzlement, and quickly shot Chewie a look, then motioned for him to go on with the others. Luke concealed himself deeper in the shadows, wanting to know just what, or who, they were dealing with, before committing himself and the others to any kind of contact.

Chewbacca quietly huffed a question at Luke, but Luke just said "nothing to worry about, I don't think. I'm just going to check something out, and be right back with you." The Wookie was a little reluctant to leave Luke on his own, but knew the young Jedi could handle himself fairly well, and he was extremely anxious to find Han and Leia. With a quiet admonition to be careful, Chewie turned and followed the others, who were already 2-3 blocks ahead.

Luke paused, adding a shadow of darkness around him, making sure he blended completely into his surroundings. He then settled himself to wait patiently, somehow becoming more and more sure that whoever was tailing them meant no harm. Luke extended his senses, keeping tabs on the guide party, "listening" for Leia and Han, and waiting for the person, or persons to approach.

His patience paid off after only a few minutes. He felt, rather than heard one, no, two beings making their cautious way forward. The closer they got the more familiar they seemed. After another minute, Luke was sure of their identity. Grinning to himself and shaking his head, he wondered how in all the worlds these two had managed to get away, track them down, and follow them. He also hoped beyond hope they might have brought supplies and equipment that would help.

Waiting a second or two longer, he relished the surprise he knew they would experience when he confronted them. Judging the moment to be just right, Luke "materialized" right in front of the two startled pilots, extending his hand and smiling broadly at them. "Wedge! Jeffries – what in all the blue hells are you doing here?"

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While Luke's surprise visitors were so welcome – Han and Leia were facing another kind of surprise – one that had them reeling – when they were already on their heels. Han had almost made it to a fully upright position when the door to their cell opened. Leia's heart almost stopped when she saw not only Trave and his sidekicks, Jimson and the brute – Pix, but four heavily armed Stormtroopers as well. Somehow, seeing the Stormtroopers in the company of the sadistic Trave, only made them seem more terrifying than usual. Leia gulped, and involuntarily shrunk back a little, leaning toward Han, as if to draw comfort from his nearness.

Though the last thing she wanted was to remember the brutal and horrifying treatment she had received the last time she was in the "care" of Stormtroopers, images kept crowding into her mind, alarming in their intensity. She ducked her head slightly and twisted her lower lip between her teeth – anything to keep from expressing her fears out loud. Leia knew Han was already coping with more than any one human could be expected to bear, and she had no desire for him to see how frightened she truly was.

Of course, Han didn't even need to look at her face to realize that the princess, though always appearing tough to anyone who didn't know her extremely well, had to be completely and thoroughly terrified. Even if he didn't already know her history with the empire, the way her small body tensed and seemed to almost collapse in on itself would have been enough to acquaint him with her fear. Instinctively, he forced himself to straighten up to his full height, though the muscles in his jaw tightened with the pain he immediately felt. Han took two steps forward, before realizing that if he moved any further away from the support of the wall, he would undoubtedly fall flat on his face – which would certain impress his captors, he was sure.

Deciding that offense is always the best approach, Han glared at Trave. "So, I see you and your pets couldn't handle this on your own," he drawled, making sure his distain showed in every line of his face. "Too bad. I really thought you were tougher than that." Han ignored the princess as she reached out and latched onto his right arm, her finger digging into his flesh. Leia, better than anyone, knew it wasn't a good idea to antagonize Stormtroopers.

For his part, Trave just laughed. "Well, Solo," he quipped, "you do amuse me. It will sadden me to see you leave us." Somehow, Trave looked anything but sad as he considered his two captives. Gleeful, and full of wicked anticipation, but not sad.

Leia decided she needed to stop playing the "poor princess" and try to take some kind of control before Han managed to complete the process of being beaten to death in front of her. Holding onto his arm, she managed to stop Han's forward progress before he could place himself anymore in harm's way. "Mr. Trave," she said, in her sweetest voice, "how nice that you have brought us an escort. Now, if you would be so kind, we'll be glad to turn ourselves over to them, I'm sure they'll help us find our way back to our ship, and we can. . ."

Trave threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Oh my, Princess," he chuckled, "it would almost be worth the reward for you two just to keep you around. However," and suddenly he was all business, "that won't be possible, at least not for much longer. As you can see, Lord Vader has sent an advance party to safeguard you both. He is most anxious to 'enjoy' your company himself, and is determined that you will not escape. I have assured Lord Vader that you are being well taken care of. I certainly would not want you out wondering around on your own – nothing is going to jeopardize my reward."

Trave motioned with his head, and to both Han and Leia's amazement, a med tech stepped out from behind the Stormtroopers. She had been hidden behind the giant form of Pix. What was more remarkable was the fact it was a female tech – the empire was well known for its prejudice against females – a prejudice almost as strong as its one against non-humans. Jimson shadowed the young tech, and in fact was carrying a couple of parcels that seemed to contain med equipment. He laid the items down on the cot Han and Leia had recently vacated, and with a glare at the Corellian, stepped back again, so the tech could take his place.

"Yes, Princess, Captain," he said gleefully, "she is here to make sure you are both in fit condition to greet Lord Vader. So I suggest you cooperate with her – it will definitely be to your advantage and to hers as well." The last remark was made with a cryptic glance at the tech, who looked extremely nervous and fearful. "Oh, but how rude of me," Trave said maliciously. "Let me make the proper introductions. This is # 546792 of batch # 19. We call 'it' 792 for short." At the captive's confused looks, Jimson let out an explosive snort, and pushed "792" forward. "She's a clone," he said in a disgusted voice. "An 'experiment' – female clones. They're good for absolutely nothing, so of course the Empire uses 'em fer med techs."

The tech seemed to steel herself, straightening her back unconsciously, and she raised eyes that were a deep brown, and were brimming with a mixture of terror and anger, meeting first the Princess's shocked expression, and then Han's own hazel eyes. "Don't be afraid, Captain," she said softly. "I may be nothing but # 792 of a failed batch of female clones, but I am exceptional in at least one way." Han couldn't help himself, he had to ask. "Oh? And what would that be?" The tech smiled, a small, sad, tight sort of smile. "I survived. None of the others did. That makes me exceptional, don't you think?"


	11. Chapter 11

_Tuesday – August 21, 2007 _

**_A/N – I am reposting Chapter 11 – I wrote it rather quickly and while I was tired – so there were several grammatical mistakes, along with errors in the story line, which I have hopefully fixed. I apologize for the inaccuracies of the first posting, and will try to do a better job in the future. _**

_Again, if anyone would like to sign on to be my beta reader – they would be welcome. _

_And I just realized I have never done the standard disclaimer: So – I don't own anything Star Wars, and none of the characters are mine, much to my dismay! I will claim ownership of the original characters that have previously existed only in my warped little mind – but I can't say I really like all of them – some of them are pretty nasty folks! _

_And of course, thank you all so much for your kind reviews and remarks. They are my inspiration. _

_I promise Chapter 12 by late tonight. _

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Han took in the tech's expression – one which managed to convey many conflicting emotions. Fear, of course, then chagrin and something else – after a moment, he recognized it as something he kept buried deep within himself, something no one except Chewie would have any idea about. The emotion he identified was a fierce kind of pride. But it was the kind of thing he knew "792" would never admit to; indeed, she would undoubtedly rather die before letting anyone find out about it. Her desperate need for acceptance – and her need for someone, anyone, to care about her, would remain a closely guarded secret. Han knew all too well what that felt like.

Han's past was something he kept exactly there, firmly locked up in his past. He rarely, if ever, let anyone know anything about his life before the alliance – except for the persona he wanted them to see. Anyone who thought they knew Han knew only what he wanted them to: that he was brash, harsh, self-serving and cared only for his ship, Chewie, himself and money – not necessarily in that order. Sometimes, in what he considered moments of weakness, he wished that people could see beyond that outward appearance, inside to the person who was so much more. What he really wished, in his most private moments, was that those closest to him, specifically the Kid and the Princess, and maybe some of his pilot buddies, Rogue Squadron members like Wedge and the new guy, Jeffries, would care enough to dig deeper and see something other than the surface person most thought he was.

At least, Han **thought** that was how people perceived him. He would have been shocked if he could have heard how many people defended him, if his motives were ever called into question by High Command. He would also have been astounded if he had any idea that those he thought the most highly of, also held Han in high regard – recognizing both his strength of character and the honor that he tried, pretty much unsuccessfully, to hide from others. Both Luke and to a slightly lesser degree, Leia, understood that there was so much more to the mysterious Captain Solo than he showed to those outside his inner circle – a circle which consisted only of himself and Chewbacca. Most, if not all, of the Rogues would have defended him to the any of the alliance bigwigs, and any of them would gladly risk their lives for him, because they knew Han would do the same for them, and in fact had, on many occasions.

All of these thoughts went through Han's mind with lightening speed, and in the manner of decisiveness he was known for, he made a quick decision. He decided that if and when he and/or Leia got out of the mess they were in, he would make sure "792" went with them, or he'd die trying. He also decided the "792" was a stupid name for any human being – whether they started life as a clone or not, and that she deserved a name of her own. So, to the utter astonishment of those around him, especially Leia, who had been watching the various emotions flash across the Captain's face, the first words he said in response to both Trave's remarks and the med tech's statement: "I survived" were "That's not good enough."

Trave looked slightly puzzled, the tech just sighed, apparently reconciled to not being good enough for yet another human, and Leia, of course, reacted with shock – and a need to correct what she perceived as Han's notorious bad manners. "Han!" she cried. "Don't you think there's a better time…" her voice trailed off, however, as she caught sight of Han's face – raised eyebrows, pursed lips and a look of pure distain (although that action brought a wince and made his face looked slightly comical, due to the fact one eye was not only completely swollen shut, but terribly black and blue).

Choosing to ignore the haughty Princess and his captors all together, Han turned toward the med tech, and managed a parody of a slight bow, even thought the effect was lost as he nearly lost his balance and had to grab onto Leia's shoulder to keep from falling over. He tried to smile, but gave that up, and said, in what he considered his most sexy voice (in reality it just sounded raspy with fatigue and pain), "Han Solo, at your service, Miss. And even though these Neanderthals don't have the courtesy to address you by your real name, I'd like to, if you care to share it with me." Han indicated Trave and the Stormtroopers, and somehow managed to include Leia in that group, much to her displeasure.

Leia shook her head, wondering why she had ever felt sorry for Han, and remembered exactly why she was so often frustrated with him. Trave snorted, torn between amusement and annoyance, and Jimson just looked confused. The Stormtroopers, of course, were implacable behind their armor, waiting to make any kind of move or decision until they received a direct order from a superior. As for "792" she was astonished at the courtesy being shown her. Uncertain how to respond, she stammered, "Ah . . . that is, it's nice to meet you, Captain Solo. But '792' **_is_** my designation – I don't have a name." She lowered her head ever so slightly, her body language again revealing the shame she felt. Han, an expert at reading body language, recognized the gesture for what it was, and offered her his trademark lopsided grin – or at least he tried to. Again, the swelling and livid bruising on his face tended to ruin the affect, but still, some of his famed charm managed to come through. Enough that the Princess found herself suddenly feeling like she was on the outside looking in, and even though she tried very hard to convince herself she didn't care one bit what the incorrigible Corellian was up to this time, a very tiny voice that mourned the loss of their previous closeness, refused to be totally silenced, no matter how hard she resolutely tried to push it down.

Han pretended to look surprised, and grinned even wider at the astonished tech. "Well, then, I guess you need one, doesn't she Leia? How about Jenina – we could call you Nina, for short." And he turned innocent eyes toward the Princess, totally oblivious to the emotions that were running rampant in her. Han knew Leia always championed those less fortunate than herself, and fully expected her to understand what he was doing, and why. Therefore, he was totally caught off guard and utterly confused at the furious look Leia wore, and the icy tone she used when she replied, "Whatever you think best, Captain Solo," as she turned away from him and stepped back, releasing her hold on his arm and removing her shoulder as his main support at the same time.

Han literally staggered as Leia withdrew, and before he could stop himself, found his knees buckling. His sight blacked out for a second and the next thing he knew, the med tech was hovering over him, waving a portable diagnostic med scanner over him. He tried to regain his feet, but Jenina took the opportunity to push him back, easing him on down to the floor. "Captain," she said, "I thank you for the name, and I like it," she paused to smile at him and Han was caught with her simple beauty, "but right now, I need to see how badly you're hurt and what I can do for you." Jenina understood all too well the Princess's reaction to her, but knew there was nothing she could do about it, and she also knew that her continued survival depended both on her skills as a med tech, and her ability to keep Trave and the Stormtroopers from deciding they didn't need her any longer.

Han groaned ever so slightly, as he laid his head back and tried to block out the pain that was returning with a vengeance, now that his adrenaline was ebbing. He was suddenly exhausted again, and so tired of trying to figure out the "fairer" sex. "Women," he muttered, as he closed his eyes. Leia, for her part, was torn between feeling badly that she had backed away so suddenly from Han and her unreasonable irritation. Looking first at Han and the obvious evidence of his increasing pain, and then to the unmistakable worry on Jenina's face, and finally to the smirk evident on Trave's countenance, she realized she had played right into their enemy's hands. With a mental head slap to herself Leia dropped to her knees beside the injured man, and managed a small smile in the tech's direction.

"I'm sorry, Nina," she said, smiling her very best diplomatic smile. "I believe I have been rather rude. I'm Leia, and if you'll just tell me what to do, I'll be glad to help." Jenina paused in opening the parcels Jimson had dumped on the cot, long enough to consider the woman beside her. With wisdom far beyond her single year of existence, she quickly realized that there was a lot more to the relationship between these two than either of them was ready to admit, and made up her mind to act accordingly. "Thank you, Leia," she replied. "And just for the record, I like my new name, but I think I prefer Jenina, if you don't mind." Jenina was unsure what the Princess's response would be, but decided she really had nothing to lose at this point. Leia took the intended rebuke in stride and just nodded. "That's fine, Jenina, now what can I do to help?"

Jenina, taking her cue from the Princess, became all business. "Let me finish running the med scan, then we'll know better what we're dealing with." Leia nodded, and watched as the tech ran the scan over Han's body, starting with his head and moving carefully and thoroughly over his neck, both shoulders, his torso, ribcage, arms, and both legs. Jenina frowned as she took the time to read the results, and then sighed. Remembering that all their continued survival depended on Trave, she turned reluctant eyes toward him and offered her report.

Standing, she stated as matter-of-factly as she could, "Sir, Captain Solo has the following injuries: a slight concussion, three fractured ribs, one of which is in danger of puncturing a lung, other cracked and bruised ribs, two broken bones in his left wrist, and multiple bruises, abrasions, and cuts. If you want the Captain to survive, there are several immediate medical interventions that need to take place. I await your instructions." Jenina lowered her head after her report, knowing that the Captain's survival depended entirely upon the whim of Trave, and not willing to jeopardize his chances because of anything she did or didn't do.

Leia, for her part, even though she knew Han was badly injured, was still appalled to hear the injuries catalogued in such a manner. Once again, she was brought to the realization that her pride had placed them in this situation, especially when she remembered than Han had constantly tried to get her to see the danger of the mission, telling her over and over that something just hadn't felt right to him.

Trave appeared to think things over, and then with a sudden malicious look, he slowly shook his head. "Well, it appears Pix may have done his work a little too well," he said. "I'm afraid the time and effort required to treat Captain Solo's injuries just isn't worth it, especially since the reward for him is the same, dead or alive. You, however, Princess are worth considerably more alive, although I won't hesitate to kill you as well, should you become more trouble than you are worth." And Trave slowly, but with clear evil intent drew his blaster; adjusted the settings to narrow beam – which was a very effective, but less messy way to kill, and raised it, aiming it at the prone man on the floor.

Han looked shocked, but somehow resigned – he'd known from the beginning that his life was most like going to be forfeited. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch Leia's face when the inevitable happened. Leia, totally horrified with this turn of events, was determined to do everything in her power to correct the situation, and stubbornly turned toward her captors, fully intending to offer information, details or even herself in exchange for the medical treatment the Captain so obviously and desperately needed.

But just as she opened her mouth to beg for Han's life, she staggered – suddenly overwhelmed by the sense of Luke's presence. She could tell he was very, very close and she was subjected to the definite feeling that Luke needed her to stall for time. Raising agony-filled eyes to Jenina, and casting a despairing glance at Han, who had opened his eyes, apparently also sensing Luke's nearness, she cried out – "Wait! I'll give you what you want. I'll tell you anything you want to know – just don't hurt me – and please, no, don't. . .not Han." Leia's voice was choked with unshed tears, as she struggled to think of the words that would stop Trave from murdering Han in front of her.

Han heard Leia's impassioned cry, and between the physical pain still shooting through him and the concern he felt for the young tech he had already sworn he would protect with his life, he heard only part of her words. Han's relief that Leia was going to do what it took to save herself warred with the horrific emotional pain that had nothing to do with his physical condition. He was almost overcome by the hurt that suddenly ripped through him at what he perceived to be Leia's decision to abandon him; even though that is the choice he would have made for her. Deciding he was being unreasonable, he opened his eyes, ignoring the waves of agony that coursed through his body, and locked his sight on the Princess. Smiling ever so slightly, he managed a flippant wink in her direction, and whispered, "That a'way Princess. Jus' make sure ya' take her with you." Glancing toward the tech, he indicated his desire that they both be safe, then, he froze, hearing the sickening laughter coming from both Trave and Jimson.

"Oh, Solo," Jimson chuckled evilly, "if only it was going to be that easy. Trave is definitely going to kill you, but not before I pay you back for your little stunt yesterday." And with that, Jimson drew his leg back, and delivered three quick and cruel kicks, two to Han's already abused side, and the last, a brutal blow to his broken arm. Han gasped in pain, almost blacking out, as he rose slightly off the hard concrete floor, before collapsing back, succumbing to a vicious coughing spasm. Leia and Jenina, both sickened at this turn of events, moved as one, determined to protect the helpless man lying at their feet.

Just as Leia was despairing that anything could be done to save Han's life, utter chaos broke out, and the sounds of sudden blaster fire could be heard, as well as shouting and the unmistakable roar of an enraged Wookie. All four of the Stormtroopers went down, as if struck by a wall of hurricane force winds, victims of Chewie's bowcaster. Leia and the tech turned to face this new development—Jenina terrified, and Leia elated—realizing that Luke and Chewie must have found them. She turned toward Han, intent on making sure he was safe during the obvious rescue attempt, when the joy she felt turned to absolute panic. Facing her across the cell, Trave finished raising his blaster, and this time, it was pointed directly at her. Everything seemed to grind to slow motion as she saw her life flash before her eyes – and she experienced deep regret at all that she hadn't finished in her short life. To her surprise, the fact that she and Han had never gotten any further along in exploring their relationship was at the top of her list of regrets. She found her eyes drawn to his, and tried to communicate all she was feeling in the space of a few seconds.

Leia was therefore completely unprepared for what happened next. As she watched, things seemed to take place in slow motion. She saw Trave squeeze his finger on the trigger, jerking the blaster slightly upward each time it fired. She braced herself for the impact she knew was coming, expecting the white hot pain to engulf her just before she died. And she cried Han's name out – putting all of her emotion into his name—"Hannnnn!" Then, as things still seemed locked in slow motion, she was again shaken to her core at the turn of events. Even as she watched in a state of stunned shock, Han somehow managed to heave himself off the ground, yanking Jenina's protective arm away, and with an impossible maneuver, threw himself in front of her, taking the shots that were meant to end her life.

"Han!" she screamed, lunging toward him as he collapsed, smoking holes appearing suddenly in his upper chest, shoulder and arm. "No, oh please, oh gods, no…"


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. Life keeps interfering with what I really want to be doing – writing! This chapter is kind of a fill in – just to catch up on what everyone was doing during all the action in the last chapter. I promise the next one will be loaded with Han and Leia angst, and all kinds of good fun. (Poor, poor Han!) _

_I'm going to be out of town this weekend, but if I have any free time at all, I'll get the next chapter posted. _

_Thank you all for your continued encouragement! _

_-------------------------- _

Luke had spent precious time after meeting up with Wedge and Jeffries, finding out why they were there and more importantly, what resources they had brought with them. After a brief consultation with them, he had signaled to Chewie to wait for them. A little more consultation and Luke decided they either needed to fully trust the three teens that had inadvertently been drawn into their problem, or cut them loose. Though privately, Luke was concerned about their safety and had decided that it would be best to send them on their way; he was not surprised to learn that the group of kids had other plans.

"No way," Dannell protested, "we know somethin's goin' on, and you're not dumping us now." His comments were vehemently seconded by both Linder and Janst. "Besides," Linder reasoned, after they had argued with Luke for a few minutes, "you need us to locate your friends."

"And your friends are in trouble, aren't they?" Janst added, when there was a brief lull in the argument. "I mean, come on. You aren't really looking for merchandise, are you? You've got friends that have 'disappeared' and you're tryin' to find them. It isn't like that hasn't happened here before, ya' know."

Dannell chimed in, before Luke could answer Janst, "We're not stupid. You're off worlders, you're looking for someone, and you've got a certain air about you. You're with the rebellion, aren't you? Don't worry, we all know there's a large Imperial presence here, but that doesn't mean we like it. We've seen other people go 'missing' and without help, they don't usually get found in time, or ever. You need us." And with that, the dispute seemed to be settled. Luke and Chewie couldn't disagree that they needed all the help they could get to find their missing friends, especially since Luke's sense of urgency was growing stronger with every passing moment.

Finding out that Wedge and Jeffries had been headed back to the hidden base, after completing a mission to a nearby planet, and had a small, but well outfitted shuttle, complete with medical diagnostic tools and a much better equipped medical bay than the Falcon had, just made Chewie that much more anxious to quickly locate his bond brother, as well as "his" princess, as Chewie, along with so many others, thought of Leia. Wedge confirmed that the alliance had contacted him on his return trip and asked him to check in, and see if he could locate the Princess and her party. Apparently, the concerns Han had voiced to the high command prior to leaving, which he figured had been ignored, had at least gotten **someone's** attention – and the decision had been made to send help, as long as help was already in the area.

With all of that out of the way, Luke was able to describe to Dannell and the others that he had a vague sense of where Han and Leia might be – and for some reason, none of the teens seemed particularly alarmed that Luke had this uncanny ability to sense his friends. They were more convinced than ever that the building they were headed for was the right one.

"It's an old abandoned prison – hasn't been used in years," Janst confirmed. "My Mom is on the city council, she's been trying to get it torn down for a long time. But there is a lot of opposition, mostly from people who support the Empire's right to be here, and so far nothing has been done about it. I wouldn't be surprised if whoever has your friends took them there."

Linder cast a sidelong glance at Dannell, who nodded slightly, then she added, "And sometimes Dannell and I go there to, um, well, when we need private time. We've found a way in that I don't think anyone else knows about." Linder looked at the others, a little shyly, but Dannell just grinned cheekily at them and nodded, "Yup, we can get you in, and I know the shortest way there from here too. Shouldn't take more than another hour or so, if we hurry."

With that, the little party headed out, stopping only when they heard the occasional voices of people in the distance. Luke kept "sending" to Leia, trying to reassure her that help was on the way, and trying to sense Han as well; but Han remained closed to him. Luke knew that meant the Corellian was undoubtedly deeply asleep or unconscious, probably the latter.

It seemed to Luke that little time had passed when Dannell eased an arm out, calling a silent halt to their progress. Luke eased up beside him, and watched as he pointed. "There," he whispered, "that building – I'm almost sure they're there." Luke reached out with the force, although he needed little reassurance that his friends were indeed, locked somewhere inside the sprawling complex in front of them. He had been able to sense Leia more and more strongly as they approached, and suddenly, he could sense Han again too – the sudden return of his pain was enough for him to know Han was now awake. Luke started to reach out toward Han, when he felt a strong upsurge in fear from both of the captives.

Though Luke could not tell for sure what was happening, he knew it couldn't be anything good, and that they had no time to waste. Quickly, he made decisions on the best way to approach the building and to plan a reconnaissance. First, he had Dannell and Linder show them their secret way into the building. Luke took a moment to pause and appreciate the irony of it – though the front of the building and all obvious entries were secured with pass codes and hand print recognition, one of the simplest things had been missed. Dannell and Linder entered the building by the simple expediency of an unsecured window which barely visible, and only if you knew just where to look, right above what was obviously a basement of sorts. Apparently whoever ran security must have been paid by the hour, and they had obviously not checked anything that wasn't specifically outlined for them to deal with.

Luke took his light saber and widened the area around the window, stationed the three teens to keep watch – Dannell and Linder inside, since they were already familiar with the layout of the building, and Janst on the outside. Chewie passed his comlink to Linder, who agreed to relay any messages back and forth. After that, Luke, Wedge, Jeffries and the now enraged Wookie entered the building – constantly checking for surveillance equipment and pleasantly surprised to find none. They figured that between the fact the building was supposed to be disserted, and all of the pass codes, whoever was using it simply didn't expect anyone to check it.

Luke followed the increasing urgent feelings he was receiving from both Han and Leia. In what seemed to take much too long, but again was only a few minutes, Luke called a halt. He crept forward, and was rewarded with an easy line of sight down a long hallway, where he could see into an open cell.

What he saw took his breath away. Han lay prone on the ground; an unidentified female (that surprised Luke as much as anything!) Imperial med tech seemed to be evaluating Han's condition, and Leia was facing down four Stormtroopers and a few others, including one man who looked to be some kind of a horrible giant. The terror she felt was almost palpable. He could sense Leia was ready to take desperate action. Quickly, Luke sent assurances her way that he was right there, and encouraged her to stall for time.

Backtracking, Luke returned to the group waiting for him. "No time for anything elegant," he said quietly. "We go in now, and we go in shooting." Wedge and Jeffries were well enough trained they simply checked to make sure their blasters were charged, and grimly nodded their readiness. Chewie asked what the odds were, and Luke replied with a wry grin, "Not bad, only four Stormtroopers and an unknown number of other bad guys. Normal, in other words." Chewie took his bowcaster off, checked the settings and said, "The Stormtroopers are mine, the rest of you can handle the others." With that simple "plan" in place, Chewie led the charge, bursting through the door and taking out the Stormtroopers before they had any idea they were even under attack.

That was the last thing that went as planned. Luke was right behind Chewie, and paused for only a few seconds to assess where everyone was. In that instant, he saw two things happen that stopped his very breath. He saw a man point a blaster at Leia and pull the trigger. And even as he leapt forward, intent on blocking the shots with his light saber, while realizing to his horror that he would be seconds too late, he saw the impossible happen right before his eyes. Han suddenly rose from flat on his back and in a maneuver that Luke wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen it, threw himself in front Leia, taking the shots meant for her.

He heard Leia's screams, saw Han collapse and heard Chewie's cry of anguish and rage, all happening in the blink of an eye. Before he could finish bringing his light saber into position, he saw the man who had shot Han stop in disbelief, then watched his eyes narrow, and saw him point the blaster again at Leia. This time Luke was already half way there, and he released his saber and watched in mute satisfaction as it cleaved the man into two pieces. The stunned look on Trave's face would have been comical if Luke had time to analyze it.

The rest of the operation was more or less clean up from that point on, Wedge and Jeffries quickly disarmed the only other armed combatant, Jimson being only too willing to surrender, after seeing the Stormtroopers and Trave cut down so efficiently. Pix appeared to have fighting on his mind, but Chewbacca put a quick halt to any protests he would have made by simply bashing him across the brow with his bowcaster. Had Chewie known this was the man that had caused his "cub" to suffer so much; he would have torn the man to pieces.

Leia had already gone to her knees beside Han, and laid her head on his chest, praying she would hear a heartbeat. The med tech quickly assessed his condition by more efficient means. After a quick scan of the diagnostic medi-scanner, she looked up and directed her comment to Luke, quickly realizing he must be in charge. "He's alive – barely, and for how long I don't know. But if he doesn't get help right away, he won't be."


	13. Chapter 13

_August 31, 2007_

_I am reposting this chapter – after making a few corrections to the storyline. Chapter 14 is up next._

Everything seemed momentarily frozen in a horrible parody of a senseless tableau. Luke had watched it all unfold from within a sort of force-enhanced daze: _Han's amazing and selfless action when he somehow took the shots meant to end Leia's life and his resulting abrupt collapse. Leia's scream of horror and the way she subsequently threw herself over Han's inert frame. The as-yet-unidentified female tech's quick and clinical reaction, and her terse words, confirming that Han was, of course, critically injured. Chewie's howl of anguish and his focused anger as he dealt with the threat of the huge man who looked set to kill them all and the immediate surrender to Wedge of the one remaining armed man._ It all happened in an instant, and then everything just stopped.

Luke gave himself a mental shake, realizing that their next actions had to be quick and decisive, if there was any hope of saving Han's life. He nodded to the tech and responded, "Right. We've got a medical bay in a nearby shuttle. Can he wait to be treated until we can get him there? I don't think taking him to a local facility would be a good idea for any of us."

Jenina ran the scanner more slowly over Han's body, focusing on the blaster wounds, which were already beginning to bleed freely. She took a minute to compare the readings to her scan of a few seconds earlier and frowned, slowly shaking her head. "He needs help right now – I have some supplies with me. I was going to treat his other injuries before, ah, all of this happened." She looked around herself uncertainly, still somewhat bewildered by the events that had unfolded so quickly around her. Not having any idea of her own fate, nevertheless, she was determined to do her best for the only human who had ever treated her with an ounce of decency and respect.

Chewbacca, who was hovering over them all, quickly retrieved the med pack he had torn so hastily from the Falcon's medical bay and offered it to her, his sounds completely unintelligible to Jenina; even so she understood the giant creature meant her to use anything that would help the fallen pilot. "Thank you," she said softly, looking into the Wookie's intense blue eyes, and recognizing the gentleness and concern she saw displayed there, if not the words she heard.

Meanwhile, Leia sat back on her heels, with Han's right hand secured firmly between both of hers, as if she couldn't bear to lose the contact between them. "Please, just help him. We have to do something, anything. How could he? I don't understand. . ." Leia's voice trailed off as she saw the whole thing again in her mind, the incredible feat Han had managed, saving her life at the probable cost of his own. "He shouldn't have," she whispered, mostly to herself. "I'm not worth it." Chewie's acute hearing interpreted her words, as well as her body language. "Princess," he whuffed softly in her direction, "Han couldn't do anything else. It is who he is. He would do the same for anyone who needed help, but he could not live with himself if he had let anything happen to you." Leia just bowed her head, tears slipping unnoticed down her face, still in shock and unable to comprehend and accept what had just happened.

Wedge and Jeffries made short work of securing both Jimson, who remained mute, obviously terrified by the sudden turn of events, and Pix, who was unconscious and looked to stay that way for the foreseeable future. They checked the four Stormtroopers, making sure none of them were still a danger and remained on guard against any further threats.

Luke quickly shook off his sense of unreality, raised his comlink and spoke to Linder. "All clear here, any sign of trouble?" Linder responded after a moment of silence "Nothing going on. Everyone ok there?" Luke sighed and replied, "All but one, and he's critical. Please stand by and we'll keep you posted." Then he turned his full attention to his wounded friend, concern for Han's life making him impatient. "Well? What do you need? How can we help?" he barked at the tech. Before she could respond, all heads turned toward a sound that shocked each of them.

"Lay off her, Luke," the pilot lying on the floor managed to croak out between lips that were dry, swollen and bleeding. "She's got enough to worry 'bout without you growlin' at her…uhhh, oh man, what hit me?" And Han's words trailed off into a fit of coughing. His already pale face drained of any remaining color, as the choking seemed to reawaken all the pain centers that had momentarily been shut down right after he was shot. When his breathing became more and more labored, and it was obvious he was struggling to draw enough breath into his lungs, Chewie took action on his own. He slid behind his long time friend and using gentle pressure, eased his long arms around Han's middle and pulled him carefully into a half sitting position, leaning him back against his chest. "Easy, little brother," Chewie said softly. "You've really gone and done it this time. Now behave yourself, and let us help you."

Han leaned his aching head back against Chewie, inordinately glad for his presence, even though in his confused state, he couldn't quite recall how Chewie had gotten there. The last Han could remember, he had seen that Leia was in danger. . .Trave had been pointing the blaster right at her. Han couldn't really remember what had happened, he just knew he had flung himself at Trave, and then had awakened to Luke's harsh voice, ordering the med tech around.

"Leia!" he bolted upright, casting around frantically, looking for the princess, sure that she must have been hit. "Easy, Han," Leia's face swam into his vision. "I'm right here. Its ok, everything's ok. Luke's here now, and. . ." her voice trailed off as Han seemed to wilt again, sinking back against the Wookie. He gulped, and the blood from his wounds poured out faster in response to his accelerated heart beat. He felt things start to fade again, and tried desperately to hold onto his consciousness, wanting to make sure both Leia and the tech were okay.

"He's crashing," Jenina said. She rummaged frantically around through the items Jimson had laid on the cot, exclaiming under her breath, "Where is it? I need that stim." It was Wedge who reached a long arm across her, and pointed at a hypo spray set off to the side. "That it?" he asked. "It looks like the ones we have in the alliance's med kits."

"Yes," she answered. "And he needs it now. His blood pressure is bottoming out and he's going into shock." She grabbed the hypo, but looked toward Luke for permission to continue. Luke in turn, glanced at Leia, and raised his eyebrows. He knew she had a much better idea on medical procedure than he did. Luke didn't much like the idea of an Imperial stimulant being used on his friend, but he could see that urgent measures were called for.

Leia closed her eyes, knowing it was risky, but realizing Han would die right in front of her without it. She laid a shaky hand on Han's right arm and looking at Chewie for final permission, nodded to Jenina. "Yes, please, go ahead. And Jenina – whatever happens, thank you." Jenina accepted Leia's thanks, realizing it carried an assurance that she wouldn't be blamed, no matter what happened, and without any further delay, emptied the contents into the vein that was pulsing in Han's neck.

Nothing happened for a moment, then Han's eyes flew open again, and he groaned. "Ah, Chewie," he whispered, clasping the fur on Chewie's strong forearm. "I'm gonna be sick." And Han's misery was complete as he began retching, clutching alternately at Chewie's arm for support and at his own aching ribcage. After that, things proceeded in a blur for the wounded Corellian. His world was reduced to nothing more than horrible, pain-filled coughing and retching, amid the flurry of activity going on around him. Someone inserted an IV into his right arm, and though he frowned, he refrained from saying anything. Han hated needles, and would have protested, but right now he found it imperative to concentrate on breathing, and trying not to cough or throw up again.

He heard the others scrambling around, calling orders to each other, and it seemed like someone was always poking him, pressing on places that hurt, or asking someone else something about him. Han hated almost more than anything to be talked **about**, instead of talked **to**, but every time he tried to protest, someone either "shushed" him, told him to close his eyes and rest, or (if it was Wedge or Jeffries) said, "Shut up, Solo, and quit complaining. We're saving your life here."

Eventually, Han couldn't focus beyond anything other than the pain that pounded at him. He had thought it was bad before, with the injuries from the beating. But when Jenina started cleaning the blaster wounds, and finally told him to brace himself, just before spraying them liberally with synthflesh, he hissed with the agony, and if it hadn't been for Leia's continued presence, he would have yelled his distress for the entire world to hear. But once again, his stubborn Corellian pride kicked in, and he refused to do more than gasp out loud, and occasionally moan, while holding more and more tightly to Chewie's arm.

Finally, after a period that seemed to stretch into eternity, he heard Jenina say, "That's it for here. He's as stable as he's going to be. I'm giving him a pain killer, and then we can move him." As much as Han disliked taking pain killers, he wasn't about to argue this time. The next he knew, he was once again being injected with something, and this time, he almost immediately felt a blessed coolness enter his veins and rush through his system. It seemed one moment he was clenching his teeth to keep from crying out, and the next knew, he was floating on some sort of cloud and not feeling the pain nearly so sharply. It was reduced to something almost bearable, and he found that he didn't really care about it after the drug kicked in.

"Luke," Wedge asked, motioning to the Trave's body and the dead Stormtroopers, as well as to the unconscious giant, and the cowering man in the corner, "what about them?" Leia spoke up sharply, "I don't care what you do with them, you can shoot them, for all I care," and she indicated both Pix and Jimson in her disparaging gesture toward two of the mean who had tormented them for the past horrible hours. Jimson cringed back even further and raised his hands in supplication. "Now, Princess, don't be hasty," he stuttered. "I never, that is, I didn't mean, to hurt you. It was all his doing," he whined, jerking his head toward the very dead Trave. "Don't flatter yourself." Leia snarled. "You didn't hurt me, but for what you did to Captain Solo – I could kill you myself." Chewie roared, and turned toward the now terrified man, and in absolute terror, Jimson covered his face with his hands. "No!" he sobbed. "It wasn't me. It was all them. Pix did it, I just followed orders. I didn't want to, I didn't mean to…" and no one knew whether to be amused or disgusted when Jimson took one more look at the approaching Wookie and promptly fainted.

Leia turned toward Luke, "Just tie them up and just leave them all here. We can't risk any more exposure than we already have. The best thing to do is get out of here as quickly as possible, and get Han the help he needs. The faster we leave this planet, the happier I'll be," and Leia shuddered slightly, as she turned back and considered pilot lying so still on the floor. "That sounds good, Leia," and with a look from Luke, Wedge, Jeffries and Chewie moved to secure the two criminals who remained alive.

Han tried to follow the conversation, but kept fading in and out, feeling the "cloud" as he liked to call the fog that descended on him whenever he was given heavy painkillers, grow stronger with each passing moment. He had reason to be very glad for that cloud once Chewie and Wedge lifted him, and began the long trek to the back of the building where the three teens were anxiously waiting. Though they tried to be very careful, the halls were narrow, and he was jostled more than any of them liked. The lines of pain in Han's face deepened, as it kept breaking through, in spite of the medication. He was resigned to it, though and had almost managed to drift off, when there was a sudden shout, and a flurry of activity.

Han was quickly laid down on the hard concrete and Leia and Jenina knelt beside him, Jenina checking his vitals and Leia simply holding onto his hand – whether to comfort herself or him, she wasn't sure at that point. Luke moved to the front, listening intently to Linder's excited voice, as she explained "We've got company. You'd better wait there. We're going to stall them." Luke called out urgently, "No, wait," but he could tell it was too late; the three young people had already confronted who ever was out there. Luke looked at the others and shook his head. "I guess there's nothing to do but wait. How's he doing?" indicating the patient lying on the floor.

Leia had managed to scoot over and had eased Han's head onto her lap. She was gently rubbing her hand over his brow, which was hot to her touch. "Hey, princess," he managed to croak out, though he kept his eyes closed, enjoying her touch in spite of the circumstances, "wha's happen'en?" Han's words were slightly slurred, though whether from his pain and exhaustion, or the drugs, or both, she wasn't sure. "Ya' doin' 'kay?" Han managed to open one eye slightly, and squint in her direction as he asked the question that remained the most important one in his befuddled mind. "I'm fine, hotshot," Leia smiled down at him. "You just keep still and let us take care of things for a change." Han managed a small snort. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. You're all doin' such a fine job without me," he just managed to get the words out before giving in to a giant yawn, finally let his eyes slide closed. If he wasn't totally free of the agonizing pain, at least it was far enough in the background that he could deal with it. He decided for once, to let someone else handle things. "I'm gonna' go 'head and take … 'lil nap," he managed to mutter before giving in completely, and letting the control he had kept with an iron will, slip.

That was the last thing Han remembered clearly for more hours than any of them were prepared to deal with. For just when it had looked like things might go relatively smoothly in this rescue attempt, all hell broke loose outside the building.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N – Thank you for all who have stuck with this story. When I started it several months ago, I had no real thought of ever posting it. It has taken on something of a life of its own –I keep thinking it's finished – but more just seems to happen. I do think it will be winding down within another few chapters. I hope so, because I already have another one partially written, where Han and Leia and friends get into yet another scrape._

_I did go back and made a few corrections to Chapter 13 – remembered to do something with the Stormtroopers and Jimson, things like that. _

_And as with everyone, I don't own anything Star Wars or make any money off of this. Wish I did to both those ideas!_

_Your reviews are my inspiration to continue to write. Thank you everyone. Now on to the story._

Chapter 14

Luke glanced at Han, and after seeing him lay his head back onto Leia's lap and either go to sleep, or more likely pass out, turned his attention back to whatever was happening outside. He had kept his comlink on and so everyone was able to listen to the commotion going on outside their hiding place.

Shouts and the sounds of vehicles were the first things Luke identified. He made out the voice of someone barking orders, but couldn't tell for sure what was being said. Luke reached out with the force, and tried to accomplish a number of things at once. First, he did his best to hide the "modifications" he had made with his light saber when they'd entered the building, blurring the lines slightly, and making it appear more or less as it had before he'd widened the area around the window. Then he tried to get a feel for the mind-set of those giving the orders, and was alarmed to sense an air of Imperial authority. Finally, he did his best to boost the confidence of the three kids outside; lending truth to the story he could hear them spinning.

Dannell was explaining how he and his girlfriend were just trying to find somewhere to be alone on this "'effn' planet" and that Janst had simply been along to watch their backs. Somehow, they had managed to distract the officers from the building itself, and seemed to be leading them away. Luke shook his head, impressed at their resourcefulness and concerned for their well being all at once. A few minutes more, and his decision to wait, and not go immediately after them, was rewarded.

"Luke," he heard Linder whispering. "I think they're leaving. But they're going around front, and I think they're going to access the building. You'd better get out of there now, while you can. We're going to follow them, and try and distract them if we need to."

Luke whispered his thanks and his admonition to be careful. "We'll try and catch up with you later, but if we don't, are you going to be all right?" he asked, worried about their continued involvement. "We're fine," she assured them. "Remember, Janst's Mom is on the Council, she won't let anything happen to us. Luke, I hope your friend makes it. I'm gonna' keep the comlink, but I'll turn it off for now, no use in getting caught with it. See you guys around."

And with that, Luke knew his contact with them was probably over. He regretted that Han and Leia would probably never know their three rescuers, especially considering how much the young and cocky Dannell had in common with the smuggler. But right now, he had bigger problems on his hands. Waiting a few more moments, he gave the signal, and Chewie and Wedge picked Han up again. Luke led the way, Leia and Jenina walked on either side, and Jeffries brought up the rear, keeping a close watch behind them. When they got to the window, Luke signaled a halt, and hopped outside. Looking around, he extended his force sense yet again, determining they were alone, at least for the moment.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he put his head back through the window and motioned for the others to proceed. Chewie took the limp Corellian in his arms; Han's weight was nothing to the huge Wookie. While Luke kept watch outside, Wedge hauled himself over the window sill, and helped first Jenina, then Leia out. After that, Leia took up the guard position, while Luke and Wedge knelt by the window, and maneuvered Han out through the limited space, as Chewbacca eased him up and into their waiting arms. Han groaned and opened his eyes slightly, but to everyone's relief, did not regain consciousness. Wedge and Jeffries quickly followed, and while the tech performed a quick check on Han, running his vitals again, the rest discussed the situation.

It was quickly decided that Han's best chance was to get him to the shuttle Wedge had piloted, simply because the medical facilities on it were far superior to those on the Falcon. After Jenina indicated he could travel, Chewie picked Han up again, and they quietly took off through the now lightening sky. He had only allowed Wedge to help carry his bond brother while they were in the building because of the narrow corridors, and the fact he couldn't stand to his full height while they were traversing the hallways.

Again, Luke went first, and Wedge and Jeffries kept watch on the group. Leia simply kept watch over Han, growing more and more anxious for his life the longer things went on. She quietly prayed to any deity she thought might listen that they would not run into any more delays, knowing Han needed more extensive treatment and soon. She wished they could just hurry through the main streets, getting Han to safety by the quickest and most direct route, but understood they needed to keep to the dark alleyways and back roads. She didn't much like it, but knew it was necessary. With a sigh, Leia moved a little closer to Chewie, occasionally reaching out and grasping Han's right hand, which kept slipped out of the Wookie's grasp. She would take hold of it briefly, wanting to maintain physical contact with him, but not wanting to slow their progress any. So after reassuring herself he was still alive, she would tuck his hand back into Chewie's cradling embrace.

It seemed to Jenina, who had rarely been outside of the Imperial complex where she routinely performed her duties, that there was much to see, and many interesting things kept catching her attention. Therefore she was a bit surprised to hear Jeffries grunt quietly to himself, "What a hell hole – there sure ain't much on this planet to keep a body entertained." She turned to consider Jeffries briefly, and thought of asking him a question, but her experience with human males, with the exception of Captain Solo, has been anything but pleasant, and she therefore decided against it. Had she but known, Jeffries had his eye on her, and even though he didn't know her story, he intended to see she had the opportunity to leave with them, should she show any interest at all.

"Hey, um," he stuttered slightly, "I didn't get your name, but, you're from around here somewhere?" he asked, then could have kicked himself for his stupidity. She was obviously an Imperial, though something seemed "off" about her, for lack of a better explanation. Jenina thought for moment, trying to discern what his motive for speaking to her might be, and before she could respond, Wedge gave an explosive snort. "Watch it there, Miss," he chuckled. "Jeffries will have you staying in his cabin if you're not careful."

Jenina raised her eyebrows slightly, confused. Turning toward Jeffries, she asked him in all innocence, "Why would you want me in your cabin? Are you injured?" Even Luke chuckled briefly at that, but before anyone could answer the slightly bewildered tech, Chewie stopped abruptly, his keen hearing catching a noise ahead that no one else had heard yet.

Luke immediately moved to the front, motioning everyone else to fade back into the shadows as much as possible. Leia's eyes opened a little wider as she suddenly realized how close they were to where she and Han had originally been taken. They were across the street, and slightly north of the alcove, but she had no doubt of where they were. Leia's heart couldn't help but speed up as she remembered the horror she had felt when Han had been cut down right in front of her, and when she let her mind go over all they had endured since that time. Had it only been a mere 48 hours or less? It seemed like an eternity had passed.

Luke and Wedge were in a conference ahead of them, and after a brief moment, Luke looked back over his shoulder. "Stay here," he instructed. "Wedge and I are going to check things out. Their shuttle is only another kilometer or two to the southwest, but the area is a whole lot more populated. We've got to find a back way – I don't think any of us dare attract attention."

Jeffries became all business and immediately moved to the front, covering Luke and Wedge's stealthy advance, while keeping an eye on the group huddled behind them. Chewie gently eased Han down, cradling his head against his chest again, keeping him somewhat upright in an effort to ease his labored breathing. Leia immediately moved to the rear, keeping watch, while Jenina took the opportunity to re-check the patient. Her countenance grew grimmer as she ran the scanner of the Corellian's now very still body. Han had not made a sound since he had lapsed into unconsciousness back in the confines of the prison. Chewie whuffed softly in her direction, and again, though she couldn't understand his words, she had no doubt about what he wanted to know. "He's not doing well. His blood pressure is low; I'm afraid he's bleeding internally," she said quietly. "The wound to his shoulder and arm aren't too bad, I've got the bleeding stopped. But this one," and she gently peeled back the pressure bandage she had applied over the synflesh she had sprayed directly onto the wound, "this looks bad." And indeed, the wound was already red and swollen, showing obvious signs of infection. "If he's bleeding internally, there isn't much I can do until we can get to a well equipped medical bay. He needs bacta and regeneration treatment."

Leia had edged over closer, and closed her eyes as she heard Jenina's words. "How about his breathing?" she asked. "He was having a lot of trouble with that before he was shot." Jenina ran the scanner over Han's torso, and pursed her lips as she read the results. "He's developing pneumonia on the left side. His lungs aren't punctured, yet, but all this movement isn't helping anything."

As if in response to all of the negative news about him, Han's eyes suddenly flew open and he struggled weakly in Chewie's arms. "Ahhh," he moaned, sweat breaking out on his brow. "Wha' happened? Man, I feel terrible." Han tried to raise his head, but gave up with the resulting sharp pain in his chest and side. "Easy, Han," Chewie muttered. "You must rest and be still. And keep quiet!" he added somewhat urgently as Han suddenly tried to shoot upward again with a shout. "Leia! Where's Leia?"

"I'm right here, Han," Leia was quick to lay a hand on his arm, and try to comfort him. "I'm fine, before you ask. You're the one bleeding all over the place. Take it easy, please. You need to stay still." Leia looked on in alarm as the wound in Han's chest seemed to pulsate, with little rivulets of blood seeping through the patch of synflesh. Han moaned again and clenched his teeth, gasping for breath, and Leia was alarmed at his obvious show of pain; knowing that Han had been able to control his reactions before. "Wha…," he tried to get the question out again, "Where's Jenina," he managed to ask what he wanted to know before a spasm of coughing started, and he didn't hear the tech's answer, "I'm right here, Captain." He tried a smile in her direction, but then his eyes went wide, just before they rolled back in his head, and his body went limp again.

Before Leia could question the tech, Luke returned. "We have to move now. There's a whole party of Stormtroopers up ahead. We're going to have to take a detour. No way can we get to either the shuttle or the Falcon this way." Leia closed her eyes, silently asking why nothing could go right. But she nodded her head resolutely, waiting until Jenina reapplied the bandage, the helping Chewie lift Han up again. "Lead on, then," she said quietly. "Whatever it takes, we've got to get him help, and soon."


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N – short chapter, I know. But I wanted to get one downloaded. I think the next one will be the last. I hope you enjoy this, and as always, reviews encourage me to write more quickly. Thank you again to all who have written such kind things. Enjoy the story! _

Chapter 15

Once again, the scenario that was all too familiar to Leia repeated itself. Chewie picked the unconscious Captain up, Luke took the lead and Jeffries and Wedge guarded them from the rear. Leia took her place beside the Wookie, and exchanged a glance with Jenina, before laying her hand along side of Han's arm as they made their way through a maze of alleys and dark streets.

After a tense 45 minutes, Luke called a halt, by the simple means of raising his hand and stopping. He motioned Wedge up beside him and the two exchanged words briefly, before Wedge slipped away into the now darkening evening. Luke came back, motioning Jeffries to the forefront to keep watch.

"Wedge is going to go check the route. We're only a little ways from the shuttle now. Good thing we decided to get Han there; I'm pretty sure we can't get near the Falcon. I'd be shocked if it wasn't under heavy guard. Leia sighed and shook her head. "Han isn't going to be happy if we have to leave the Falcon behind." Chewie snarled and tossed his head, indicating what he thought of that idea. "We will not be leaving her behind. We may have to return for her, but she will not be left here indefinitely," he said, with a finality that left no question to what his intentions toward their beloved ship were.

Chewie eased Han down again, but kept the still unconscious man sitting up, leaning him back against his massive chest. Han's head lolled back, and he moaned slightly, but did not open his eyes. Leia and Jenina sat down; both were tired from the tense journey. Jenina ran the scanner over Han again but made no comment, shaking her head at Leia's unspoken question as to his condition. It was so quiet, that Leia found herself almost dropping off, and was startled to realize she had leaned her head against Chewbacca's shoulder and let her eyes droop closed. She sat up with a start upon Wedge's return and strained her ears, trying to hear the whispered conversation going on between him, Luke and Jeffries.

"What is his name, really?" out of the blue, Jenina asked Leia a question that seemingly made no sense. "I mean—his whole name? It isn't just 'Jeffries' is it?" Leia understood then, and with a small smile at the tech's obvious interest, replied, "No, it isn't Jeffries. We tend to call people by their last name, or shorten their names – like Wedge – but his name is Malcolm. Malcolm Jeffries. However, if you want to impress him – you won't call him that. He hates the name Malcolm. You can call him Colm if you want to shorten it, but he really prefers Jeffries." "Colm," Jenina repeated. "I like the sound of that. Colm Jeffries. Hmmm . . . names are rather important in the Alliance, aren't they?" Jenina sounded a little wistful, and Leia suddenly understood that while Han had made it perfectly clear to the rest of them that Jenina should be included and protected, she probably had no idea they intended to offer her transport with them.

"Jenina, you know you're going with us, right? We want you to, that is, so if you'd like to leave here, and join the Alliance, we would love to have you. It won't always be safe, but then, as you've already learned, it isn't safe with the Imperials either, and I promise you, we'll treat you better." Leia smiled at the shy tech, suddenly understanding all of Han's concerns regarding her. Jenina looked very young and vulnerable, as she glanced first at the unconscious pilot resting in the giant Wookie's arms, then at Luke and the others, and finally back at Leia. "I'd like that," she said simply. "I'd like that very much." The smile she returned to Leia slowly reached her eyes and she nodded, seemingly reassured.

Luke had approached them during the last exchange and shot a quick smile in the tech's direction, nodding slightly to indicate his agreement. "Wedge doesn't see anyone close by, apparently most of the 'welcoming committee' is stationed by the Falcon. So we're going now. We're going in quiet and fast; everyone stay sharp."

For what everyone hoped was the last time, Chewie picked Han up, and they fell into their formation as naturally as if they'd been doing it all their life. Jenina reflected for a brief moment, that indeed, perhaps this small group of rebels had been doing just such covert operations, if not for their entire lives, at least for a very long time.

Leia held her breath as they followed Wedge through a few more alleys, then they all stopped as they faced a wide open space. Across that space was the very welcome sight of one of Rogue Squadron's shuttles. At Luke's gesture, the little party halted. After another quickly whispered conference, Wedge bent low and ran across the open space, pausing just long enough to enter the coded sequence that would allow him access to the shuttle. After the shuttle door opened, he vaulted inside, and it was only another moment before a small ramp was lowered. Luke motioned for Chewie and the women to go next, as he kept a force watch on the activities around them.

Both Leia and Jenina were winded by the time they had dashed across the tarmac and sprinted up the ramp, keeping close to the Wookie. Chewie immediately barked something at Wedge; who responded with a quick nod of his head in the direction of the medical bay. Chewie took the wounded man into the small bay, and eased his burden down onto the diagnostic couch. They heard first Jeffries, then Luke bound into the shuttle; and the noise of the ramp being lifted was quickly followed by the sound of engines being started. Chewie shook his head, and moaned softly, and Leia had no trouble understanding his regret at temporarily leaving his and Han's beloved Falcon behind. "It can't be helped, Chewie," she said, giving him a quick squeeze on his arm, while at the same time laying her other hand alongside Han's face. She frowned, "He's so hot. His fever is very high. I hope take off goes smoothly." Jenina was confused when Leia, although obviously extremely concerned about the man, turned away from him and started toward the other side of the room.

Jeffries took that moment to stick his head into the med bay, instructing everyone to strap in. Jenina started to shake her head, intending to begin immediate treatment of the Captain. However, she stopped when Chewie effectively barred her way as he strapped Han onto the bed, then gently steered her in the direction of one of the two jump seats in the medical bay. Leia quickly sat down in the other one and helped Jenina strap in. "We have to be strapped in – the g-forces during take off are too much to take if we're not." Leia cast an anxious glance at the Corellian lying so still on the diagnostic table, and then at Chewie. Chewie patted her arm reassuringly before moving off into one of the two gun bays, where he too strapped in.

The next 30 minutes were probably the most harrowing of Jenina's short life. She had never been on any kind of space worthy vessel and had certainly never endured any kind of a take off before, let alone one that was as thrilling as this one turned out to be. Just when she thought she might relax and enjoy the experience, the overhead coms crackled to life.

"Tie fighters, I see 'em," Luke's voice was eerily reminiscent, reminding Leia of other missions they had been part of. "We'll get them; you just get us out of here!" And with that, the shuttle began dodging and twisting, responding to the skills of the pilot and co-pilot. Chewie took the second gun, and soon the booming sounds of warfare could be heard, along with the shuddering and shaking of the small craft as they attempted to get high enough into the atmosphere to go into hyperspace travel. Leia reached over and took Jenina's hand when she noticed it trembling. "It will be ok," she told the now terrified tech. "Believe me; we've all been through much worse."

Sure enough, just as Jenina was beginning to think her short tenure with the Alliance had ended before it had the chance to really begin; the announcement came from the cockpit: "Get ready for light speed; in three, two, and one – here we go." And with a sudden lurch, the ship broke free of the confines of natural space. Leia would remember the stunned expression on the med tech's face for some time; it reminded her just how special space travel was. With that thought, she turned toward Han, knowing how he loved space travel. With a start, she realized he had awakened during the short flight, and though his eyes were closed, she could tell by his clenched teeth, white face and the way his right arm gripped the side of the bed that his pain during the take off maneuvers, had reached epic proportions.

"Now what?" Jenina questioned, looking first toward Leia, then toward her patient. "Now, we help Han," was Leia's response, and together they unstrapped and got to their feet, moving toward the man they both vowed to help.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N – Well, here it is. The end of the ride! Lots of Han angst, and hurt/comfort in this one – and yes to "Bookworm" - a happy ending. Thank you again to all who read, reviewed, marked this story for an alert or put it on your favorites. You all rock and I appreciate it so much. I feel very inspired to get on with the next story._

_Now, a couple of disclaimers: First: I don't own anything Star Wars – it is all thanks to George Lucas that these characters, including the ones who have previously lived only in my imagination, exist; and I don't make any profit from any of this._

_And second, I have no medical training, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes, errors or just plain stupid medical mishaps in the telling of this story. I simply write what I like, and hopefully, that is satisfactory to all who choose to read my stories. _

_Thank you again – and now, the final chapter – where all __will__ end up "The Way It Should Be!" _

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"The Way It Should Be"

Chapter 16

Leia watched as Jenina changed her persona into med tech mode without missing a beat. She decided she would simply stand by, ready to help as needed. Chewie came into the medical bay and placed himself near the door, where he could see and hear all that was going on to treat his injured life-bonded friend. Leia moved to the other side of the diagnostic bed and again, wanting to be close to Han, took his hot right hand in her own.

Han's eyes flew open at her touch and she could tell by the confused look in his pain filled eyes that he didn't know where he was or what was going on. However, as his eyes rested on her face, and he was able to assure himself she was okay, she saw him relax minimally, at least.

"Leia," he whispered. "Are you . . . —uh, where are we? Where's Chewie?" And he tried to raise his head up, intending to look around, but the movement, slight though it was, caused his vision to waver and things to gray out around him. Next thing he heard was Leia's soft voice, "Easy there, Hotshot," she said to him, as his grip tightened on her hand, "We're on the shuttle. Chewie's right over there; everyone is ok. We're going to get you all fixed up in no time." Chewie moved into Han's line of sight and briefly laid his massive hand on Han's shoulder, the uninjured one, and squeezed it slightly. "Take it easy, Cub," he told the pilot. "Relax. Everything is under control. Let them help you." Han closed his eyes and tried to relax, but now that he was awake, his mind and body refused to cooperate. Between the pain pounding incessantly at him, and one other nagging concern, relaxing was out of the question.

"The Falcon?" he managed to get the words out through gritted teeth. "Where is she?" Alarm spread over his features, to go along with the lines of pain on his face, as he realized they weren't on his beloved ship, and again, he raised his head up. This time, he held the Wookie's eyes with his own, refusing to lay his head back down until he got an answer. With a heavy sigh, Chewie regretfully told Han the truth. "She's still there. On planet. We had no choice, Han," his words coming out more forcefully than he intended, but knowing he had to get through to the stubborn man. "I'll get her back. Don't worry. You need to let them take care of you now. Stop fighting, Han." And again, Chewie laid his hand on Han's shoulder, pressing him back against the bed. Han glared his displeasure at this turn of events, first at Chewie, then at Leia, but his struggle was short lived. Again, with the pounding of his heart, he felt his vision growing dim and with a groan, once more he let his head fall back against the hard surface of the diagnostic bed.

The first thing Jenina did, after getting Han to lay back and agree, however reluctantly, to "behave himself," was to run a full diagnostic scan of his entire battered body. As she studied the readout on the medi-puter screen, she shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure why he's even alive," she muttered to herself. Leia looked over her shoulder, and even though she had been present and observed all of the abuse Han had taken, she was still shocked at the readout. As Chewie finally saw for the first time exactly how badly Han had been hurt, and gradually heard the story from Leia, his countenance grew more and more grim. "I wish I had killed the bastard when I had the chance," he growled. "If I had known what that monster did to both of you, I would have torn him apart with my bare hands." Chewie regretted leaving the giant of a man known only as "Pix" alive, but took some comfort in the gruesome death of Trave, the man who had masterminded the whole thing.

Jenina checked the treatment instructions and asked Leia if the bay was equipped with everything required by the medi-puter. She began reading the growing list of injuries and necessary treatments out loud, pausing to glance at Leia or Chewie to make sure everything was available to her.

"He has a concussion, we already knew that. We'll need anti-concuss medications for that. He has several broken ribs, I'd like to use bacta, but this is recommending bone knitters instead." She glanced up at Leia, surprised at these instructions. "That's likely because of the pneumonia," Leia said. "It can be dangerous to use large amounts of bacta when there is lung infection involved." Jenina nodded, and continued. "Same instructions for his wrist, but we'll need to set it. Do we have a bone setting device on board?" Leia just nodded, and Jenina went on. "He has several cuts and gashes than need bacta treatment and sealant, and a deep bone bruise on his right thigh – that's going to need a regenerator." Again, at Leia's nod, Jenina returned to the growing list.

"I am very surprised he doesn't have more internal injuries; after the beating he took, it's almost a miracle. But," and here her face grew grim again, "he's still bleeding internally from the chest wound, which is infected, as is his arm and shoulder. Which explains his high fever. I'll need to clean those, apply multiple bacta treatments, and then eventually we'll need to seal them with synthflesh again."

Han had listened to the growing litany of his injuries, with his eyes closed, and his teeth clenched tightly together. Just hearing them spoken out loud seemed to remind his already aching body of how much pain he was really enduring. Hating to be talked about, he finally pulled Leia's hand closer to him, squeezing her fingers until she looked away from the medi-puter list, and looked at him. "Princess," he managed to gasp out, "If you two are done talkin' 'bout me, maybe you could stop squawkin' about it, and do something about it." He continued in an almost incoherent plea. "Hurts, damn it. Tired of it. . ." Leia had no idea who was more shocked at this admission from the usually taciturn Corellian; when it came to pain, he never expressed what he was feeling. But as she looked more closely at his features, she could see he was gulping and swallowing with the effort not to cry out.

"Jenina," Leia turned urgently toward the young clone, "What can we give him for the pain?" Jenina sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry Leia, I can't give him anything very strong until we treat the head injury and knock the infection back. We can't risk masking symptoms that could indicate a worsening of his condition, and I can't sedate him due to his decreased lung function."

Again, Han's irritation at being discussed as if he wasn't even there showed plainly on his face. "I didn't ask ya' ta' give me anything," he growled at them without opening his eyes. "Just get on with the treatment. Whatever needs doin', quit stallin' and get to it!" Chewie's mild roar in support of this course of action caused both Jenina and Leia to jump slightly. "All right, Captain," Jenina said softly, gently laying her hand on his forehead, "but it isn't going to be very pleasant." Han just grunted, but refrained from saying anything else.

Jenina moved into action, removing and then reinserting the IV line, which had been jostled beyond effectiveness during the rescue, into Han's relatively undamaged right arm, although finding a spot that wasn't already bruised and abraded wasn't easy. She quickly mixed the antibiotics suggested by the medi-puter and started them dripping into Han's veins, hoping to at least slow the infection raging through his body.

"I need to treat the blaster wounds next," she said, with a look of slight revulsion toward Leia. "I'm sorry, Han," she told the sick man, and Han just nodded slightly, and told her, "Don't worry 'bout it. Just do it." Jenina peeled back the bandages which were sticking ever so slightly to the wound in his chest, right below his left collar bone, then gently removed the one on his shoulder and his upper arm as well. "You should have ducked, Captain," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood. "Thought I was ducking," Han managed a ghost of a smile, which quickly turned into a grimace of pain as she began using antiseptic cloths to clean the wounds, trying to remove the dead tissue, as well as the dried blood, while simultaneously staunching the flow of blood that didn't want to lesson any. Eventually, she moved onto the first of the many bacta treatments he would require, by now wishing the Corellian would pass out to save himself more pain. But he seemed all too wide awake, keeping his eyes closed, and biting his lip so hard to keep from crying out that he eventually drew a few droplets of blood.

Leia spent the time by Han's side, helping whenever she was needed, but mostly trying to offer care and comfort to the suffering man. Somewhere along the line, as she smoothed his sweat soaked hair back from a feverish brow she realized that Han had stopped being her enemy and had become one of her dearest friends, if not something more.

The depth of her feelings for him frightened her. They had been through so much together in the past year or two, and always, somehow, even though he frustrated her endlessly, she knew he had confidence in her, even more than she sometimes had in herself. It was, as often as not, Han's undying trust that kept her going, but until this crisis, Leia hadn't recognized it for what it was. The tears slipped unchecked down her cheeks as she contemplated what her life would be like if he didn't survive, as well as all he had so willingly suffered on her behalf.

Han seemed to sense her mood and his eyes fluttered open. "Hey, sweetheart," he croaked, and again the term didn't irritate her. "Wha's wrong?" Amazingly he lifted his right arm and gently swiped at the tears on her cheek, before dropping his hand heavily back to his side. "Oh Han," Leia couldn't help but gulp, "It's just that you're hurting so much, and help is so far away, and, and I don't want you to die." She knew she was losing her tight control, almost wailing with her fear, but she was so tired, and so very, very fearful at this point. Incredibly, Han raised his head up a few inches, trying to look her in the eye and managed to answer with another pitiful attempt at his wry grin, "Ahhh, uh, umm, 's that all?"

The effect of his charming smile lost some of its effectiveness as he also tried to stifle his moan of pain as his head lolled back again, "Hey, babe, don't worry none, ah, I don't plan on checkin' out jus' yet, ahh . . . . takes more 'en these minor cuts an' stuff to finish me off." Leia just shook my head, amazed that he could possibly refer to his horrible wounds as 'minor cuts and stuff.' "Solo," she just shook my head in amazement at his fortitude and desire to provide comfort for her, when he was the one obviously suffering. "You really are a wonder, you know that?"

For his sake, Leia managed to stop crying and tried to lighten her tone. When he didn't respond to her comment, she glanced at his face, and saw he was again struggling not to moan and had his lips pressed too tightly together to be able to speak

Jenina paused after completing the treatment for his blaster wounds, and sighed, rotating her neck to ease the tightness in her muscles, and then started on his broken arm.

Han's face was totally white by now, except for the high color on both of his cheeks. Beads of sweat dotted his brow and his body was taut and rigid. Again, he had his teeth embedded in his lower lip, obviously still trying to control his reactions to all that was going on around, and tried to stifle the moans that escaped his throat.

As the treatment when on, his battle to remain coherent was lost. He began moaning softly and tossing his head from side to side. Bits and pieces of words and jumbled sentences were mixed in with his sounds of pain. He opened his eyes briefly and just looked around, seemingly confused as to where he was again. He appeared trapped in his world of pain and agony, reliving some of the darker times when danger had threatened those he obviously cared about the most.

"Sith!" he cried out. "Get down Leia – Leia! No, don't let 'em, ah,…" and his frantic movements would result in more cries of pain. "No! Leia – look out! No you don't, you bastards, I won't let you . . . uh." They realized he must be reliving some battle or another. Leia continued to be amazed at the concern in his voice, and at his desperate attempts to protect her, even in his delirium, from the danger he perceived in his delirious state.

"Easy, Han." Leia finally had to shout at him to get him to hear her. "I'm alright, they're gone. All gone. I'm safe— safe. Thanks to you." He rose up slightly on his right elbow, and turned toward her then, focusing on her face with great effort, "Leia?" he whispered. "That you? You okay? They didn't hurt. . ." And finally, after reassuring himself once more that she was okay, with his hand tightening convulsively on her fingers, he gave up the battle to stay awake. Everyone was relieved when with a sigh, his grip on Leia's hand loosened, his eyes rolled back, and he gave in to the pain, lapsing into a deep unconsciousness.

Jenina had finished setting his arm, with help from Luke, he had held the device in place while she adjusted the settings. Han had groaned when it had tightened on the fractured bones in his wrist, and it was apparently that pain that was too much for him. After that, it was a matter of adjusting the various medications dripping through the IV into his system, and keeping a close watch on his various wounds.

The next hours were trying for all concerned. Jenina moved efficiently, continuing to work on Han's injuries as necessary. Luke, Jeffries and Wedge took turns flying the shuttle and keeping a look out for Imperial ships, constantly keeping the ships scanners active. When they weren't flying or sleeping, at least one of them hovered in the medical bay as well, anxious to hear the fate of their friend and pilot.

Throughout the five days it took them to return to the hidden base on Hoth (Chewie lamented the fact they weren't on the Falcon, knowing he could have coaxed their ship into making the trip in 3 ½ days), they took turns monitoring Han's condition. Sometimes he was aware what was going on, and even talked to Leia about what had taken place, and his concern that they had never been able to secure the Spirot Vaccine – which they all knew was badly needed, as well as his continued desire that Jenina be looked after – but more often than not, he was tossing in delirium, unable to contain his moans of pain as the infection continued to ravish his weakened body.

It was with great relief that Leia and the others heard Wedge giving the coded sequence that would allow them to land. They had all strapped in again for the entrance back into normal space, and then despite Wedge's admonishment that descending through the planet's atmosphere was going to be rough, both Leia and Jenina had chosen to take a place on either side of Han's bed, trying to sooth his agitation. His condition had been greatly aggravated by the high g-forces on his body as they had made the entry.

Luke had been on the inter-space comlink as soon as it was possible, explaining what had happened and demanding that full medical treatment for Han be ready and waiting. As soon as they landed, Wedge lowered the ramp, and Leia heard voices shouting, and was relieved to hear the voice of Dr. Tulary, who had treated Han's injuries in the past, and was familiar with the quirks the Corellian's body often displayed when he was hurt.

Han was in and out of awareness, confused at all the noise going on around him, but recognizing the doctor's voice, and knowing they must be back on Hoth; he tried to keep track of both Leia and Jenina, but soon his weakened state was too much for him. Hearing Leia's frantic cries in conjunction with a terribly annoying beeping, then a prolonged shrill sound, as the monitors he was hooked up to began going off, was the last Han knew for a very long time. He did not hear Leia's agonizing cry as the doctor shouted instructions, and various techs worked frantically on him. "He's crashing. I don't have a heart beat. We're losing him." Leia thought she might pass out when she heard the Dr.'s voice. "No," she whispered, and buried her head in Luke's shoulder, unable to bear looking at Han.

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"Welcome back, Han," was the next lucid thing he heard. Though it took every bit of will power he had, he was finally able to open his eyes and look around, squinting at the bright lights surrounding him, trying to make out the owner of the voice. "You had us awfully worried." Han tried to make an intelligent response, and was somewhat appalled when the words he tried to say came out sounding like "Umphhhh," rather than the much more responsive "huh?" he had intended to say. "Take is easy; here, have some water." The room finally stopped swimming around him, and he was able to recognize Luke's voice, as well as the feel of his hands as Luke eased his head up and encouraged him to take a few small sips. Han was amazed at how much that took out of him. He fully intended to ask questions, but found that his eyes would not stay open.

Several hours later, when he once again found his eyes stubbornly wanting to remain closed, but forced them open, things were a little clearer to him. This time, it was Jenina sitting next to his bed and offering him some water. Han waited until he had swallowed several sips, then blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "How long? And where's my ship?" He was surprised at the light laughter that came from Jenina's lips. "Leia was right. She said you'd ask about your ship before anything else." She smiled at him, and Han couldn't help but return the look with a half grin of his own. He shrugged his shoulders, but quickly realized that was not a great idea. "It's been a week and a half, and we just heard from Chewie and Wedge yesterday. They are on their way back; and Colm is right behind them in the shuttle. Before you ask, your ship is fine, and you'll be pleased to know, Wedge was somehow able to make get in touch with with Leia's contact – they got most of the vaccine. And, for only half the payment."

Han didn't know whether to be more astonished that he'd been out of it for over a week, or that somehow, Wedge had been able to complete the mission. He decided it was too much to figure Wedge out, and instead zeroed in on the length of time he'd been out of it. Scowling at the tech, he asked "Why'd ya' let 'em keep me under that long?" Jenina smiled again, and shook his head. "Leia said you'd be mad about that too. She seems to know you awfully well, Captain." Jenina got up and checked Han's IV, before adding, "No one kept you out, Han; you've been unconscious the entire time. You really did almost die. Get some rest; you'll be having lots of visitors before you know it." And before the astonished Corellian could ask any more questions, she flashed him another impudent grin, and left his room.

Han didn't have long to contemplate this turn of events; Jenina's prediction came true. As soon as people realized he was finally on the mend, he had an almost unending stream of visitors. He was glad to see all of them; well, almost all of them, he didn't particularly enjoy the visit from the "old fogies" from high command who came in to both scold him for his recklessness and thank him for saving the Princess' life. But as first one day, then another passed, and he didn't see said Princess, he began to wonder if something else had gone wrong.

The next time Luke managed to make his way into the room, Han demanded he shut the door. "What's up Luke? Where is she? Is she ok? Did she get hurt after all and no one is telling me?" Han was prepared to continue peppering the young Jedi with questions, and had even thrown his covers back, half rising from the bed, before a stab of pain reminded him he was no where near healed yet. Luke advanced into the room, and shook his head, folding his arms and grinning at the irritated man getting tangled in the bed clothes.

"Han, Han, Han," he smirked. "Why, if I didn't know better, I'd think you cared!" Han looked back at him in astonishment – "You stupid farm boy, of course I care! Why else do you think I went with her in the first place? Everyone knows she can't take care of herself!" Han's attention was taken up at that point trying to get himself straightened out, and untangled from both the blankets and the IV lines that had somehow managed to wrap themselves around him. Therefore, he did not hear the door open again, he was unprepared when he heard a slight "Harrumph!" in a decidedly feminine voice, coming from behind Luke.

Knowing he was in trouble now, he closed his eyes, ducking his head before facing the wrath of one very irritated Princess. He was trying to decide whether to put on his "I'm so relived to see you look," or a "I'm still hurt – don't smack me look," when he was suddenly surprised to feel small arms going around him, and as he was fiercely hugged. Not one to miss any opportunity that presented itself to him, he stopped struggling with the tubes, and simply wrapped his arms around the dimutive lady he found in his arms.

To his astonishment, Leia sighed, and laid her head on his right shoulder, snuggling close to him. "I'm sorry, Han," she spoke. "High Command has had me in meetings non stop for the past few days. I've been in to see you, but you were always sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you up. I didn't mean to desert you." Just as Han began to get over his shock, and decided the only course of action left to him was to hold the Princess a little closer, and maybe even try to sneak in a kiss, he was shocked again when she pulled back and lightly smacked him on his right shoulder. "But, if you ever, ever scare me like that again, I'll never speak to you."

Luke looked up, just as Chewie elbowed his way into the room, crowing with delight at seeing his cub awake, looking decidedly better than the last time Chewie had seen him, and even holding "his" princess in his arms. Right behind him, Wedge, Jeffries and finally Jenina crowded in, everyone talking at once. Han managed to keep his hold on Leia, settling her in beside him on the bed, and refusing to let go of her hand, even when she made a token show of removing it from his grasp. He smiled in delight at seeing all his friends together in one place, and grinned even wider as he listened to the reports Chewie and the pilots made of their adventures while retrieving the Falcon.

He looked around, spotted Jeffries casually draping an arm across Jenina's shoulders, and didn't miss the way she smiled shyly up and him. Listening to the banter going on between all of them, he pulled Leia a little closer, flashing one of his dazzling lopsided grins at her. "And **this** is why, Princess," he whispered. "What is why, Han?" the puzzled Alderanian asked, unable to resist smiling back at him in return. "This," he said, carefully motioning at all the happy people gathered in his room, with his still healing left arm. "In spite of everything, it all came out ok. The Empire is never gonna' win as long as ends up like this." At Leia's continued puzzled look, he smiled at her again. "You know, _the way it should be_."


End file.
